A teenager faces charges in connection with a house party shooting that left a 14-year-old from Marietta dead, but deputies say they’re still searching for the killer.
Elijah Alexander Harrison, 17, of Douglasville, was arrested at his home Thursday night, Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Capt. Jay Baker told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Harrison faces seven charges, including six counts of aggravated assault, in connection with the Oct. 17 shooting.
The incident took place just before 1:30 that morning, which is when deputies were called to a large house party along Victoria Road near Woodstock. When they arrived, multiple cars were already fleeing the area and people were running from the house, investigators said.
Landon Andrews, 14, was found in the back of an SUV with a fatal gunshot wound to his torso, authorities said. Investigators said he was shot in or outside the home and later moved to the SUV. He was taken to Wellstar Kennestone Hospital, where he later died. Jaden Simmons, 19, of Mableton, was also shot in the hand and elbow, but he survived his injuries.
Harrison is accused of shooting at the house at least six times from a moving car, Baker said. At least one round hit the home, but he hasn’t been accused of firing the gunshots that killed Andrews. Harrison remained Saturday morning in the Cherokee County jail without bond.
“Investigators continue to work to identify the suspects in that incident,” Baker said.
Baker said investigators believe the shooting was the result of an earlier fight between teens in Kennesaw. The sheriff’s office released video of the incident to the public.
Roughly a week after the shooting, deputies said they had conducted about 80 interviews while following up on leads. Finding witnesses has proven difficult, Baker said.
“One of the challenges investigators have faced is locating and interviewing witnesses who fled the scene of the shooting prior to deputies arriving at the incident location,” he said at the time.
Deputies are still seeking two persons of interest who were at the party. Neither is considered a suspect in the deadly shooting, but Baker said they may have information that would assist in the investigation.
Anyone with information on the incident is asked to contact the sheriff’s office at 678-493-4200 or 678-493-4080.
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