Fulton County District Attorney Fanni Willis speaks during a news conference at the Fulton County Courthouse in downtown Atlanta, Friday, Aug. 13, 2021. A Fulton County grand jury has indicted two men, Julian Conley and Jerrion McKinney, in the involvement of the murder of 8-year-old Secoriea Turner.
Fulton County District Attorney Fanni Willis, center, speaks during a news conference at the Fulton County Courthouse in downtown Atlanta, Friday, Aug. 13, 2021. A Fulton County grand jury has indicted two men, Julian Conley and Jerrion McKinney, in the involvement of the murder of 8-year-old Secoriea Turner.
Fulton County District Attorney Fanni Willis speaks during a news conference at the Fulton County Courthouse in downtown Atlanta, Friday, Aug. 13, 2021. A Fulton County grand jury has indicted two men, Julian Conley and Jerrion McKinney, in the involvement of the murder of 8-year-old Secoriea Turner.
Fulton County District Attorney Fanni Willis speaks during a news conference at the Fulton County Courthouse in downtown Atlanta, Friday, Aug. 13, 2021. A Fulton County grand jury has indicted two men, Julian Conley and Jerrion McKinney, in the involvement of the murder of 8-year-old Secoriea Turner.
Fulton County District Attorney Fanni Willis speaks during a news conference at the Fulton County Courthouse in downtown Atlanta, Friday, Aug. 13, 2021. A Fulton County grand jury has indicted two men, Julian Conley and Jerrion McKinney, in the involvement of the murder of 8-year-old Secoriea Turner.
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis speaks during a presser at the Fulton County Courthouse in downtown Atlanta, Friday, Aug. 13, 2021. A Fulton County grand jury has indicted two men, Julian Conley and Jerrion McKinney, in the involvement of the murder of 8-year-old Secoriea Turner.
ATLANTA (AP) — A prosecutor on Friday announced the indictment of two alleged gang members on charges related to the shooting death last year of an 8-year-old girl in Atlanta.
Secoriea Turner was killed July 4, 2020, while riding in an SUV with her mother and her mother’s friend near the Wendy’s restaurant where Rayshard Brooks, a 27-year-old Black man, had been killed by a white police officer just weeks earlier.
“This case is the highest priority for my office,” Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis said, calling it “one of the saddest cases I’ve seen.”
A grand jury returned a 37-count indictment against Julian Conley and Jerrion McKinney. Conley is charged with malice murder and felony murder in Secoriea’s killing, and both men face aggravated assault, gun and gang-related charges.
“We are alleging that Mr. Conley fired into the car when it failed to stop and respect their barricade, and that led to the tragic killing of Secoriea Turner,” Willis said during a news conference.
Both men had previously been arrested in connection with Secoriea’s killing and were being held without bond.
Conley, 20, was arrested last year. An attorney for Conley who no longer represents him has previously said Conley was peacefully protesting and witnessed the shooting but did not open fire himself. No new attorney for Conley was listed in online court records.