ATHENS — An Athens-Clarke County grand jury has indicted four men on murder charges in the slaying of a 3-year-old boy who was shot while watching cartoons in his home.
The shooting on March 8 in Athens killed Kyron Santino Zarco Smith and injured his 9-year-old brother.
Julian Cubillos, Jayden Brown, Dakious Echols and Desmontrez Mathis are charged with malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault, and violation of the Street Gang Terrorism and Prevention Act. Three are teenagers.
“The violence that’s taken place in Athens-Clarke County is unacceptable, and the entire community deserves better,” said Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr in a statement. “We have established a strong partnership with ACCPD, and we will continue to work together to combat gang activity in our state.”
According to local authorities, the gunfire came from outside the home and was gang-related.
Days after the shooting, more than 100 community members gathered for a balloon release in honor of Kyron, wearing baby blue shirts featuring his nickname, Baby Dro.
Cubillos, 17, and Brown, 16, were arrested in March. Mathis, 22, and Echols, 18, were arrested last month in Augusta and Brooklyn, respectively. Police said Cubillos lived in Lawrenceville and Brown, Mathis and Echols in Athens.
“I am proud of the Athens-Clarke County Police Department’s men and women who acted quickly to identify and locate those responsible,” said Athens-Clarke County Police Chief Jerry Saulters in a statement. “Our commitment to stopping gun and gang violence in the Athens community remains unwavering as we partner with the Attorney General’s Office to bring justice for Kyron and his family.”
Since its creation in July 2022, Carr’s Gang Prosecution Unit has partnered with the Athens-Clarke County Police Department to indict 21 individuals, Carr’s office said in a press release. Many of these cases are believed to involve an ongoing conflict between Everybody Eats (aka “EBE”) and the Red Tape Gang (aka “RTG”). Included in this total are five shootings that have taken place in Athens since April 2022, including four deaths.
Smith’s killing was investigated by ACCPD, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, FBI Atlanta and its Athens area Middle Georgia Safe Streets Gang Task Force, and the Attorney General’s Gang Prosecution Unit.
“Criminal street gangs continue to devastate communities and harm innocent victims,” said GBI Director Chris Hosey in a statement. “The GBI is dedicated to holding dangerous gang members accountable for their crimes. We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to eliminate street gangs and keep Georgians safe.”
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