MERIWETHER COUNTY, Ga. — An arrest has been made in connection to the shooting death of a Meriwether County High School football player, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.
Brandon Smith, 17, a player on Manchester High's football team, was found shot and killed on the eve of his high school's state title championship game. Investigators previously said Brandon's body was found near a home on Third Avenue in Manchester on the morning of Dec. 10.
The GBI, who have been conducting an investigation into the teen's death, said Tuesday that 19-year-old A'darius Jashawn Williams, of Manchester, was arrested and charged with murder. During the investigation, the GBI concluded that Williams allegedly shot and killed Smith following an argument in Manchester. Williams was booked into the Meriwether County Jail, the GBI said.
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11Alive previously spoke with Brandon Smith's grandmother, Maxine Smith. She said her grandson was missing for days, after he didn't come home Thursday night.
"I woke up Friday morning and I knew he was gone. So I’m up, kept calling his cellphone, couldn't find him, couldn’t find him, so I called the school," she said.
She added that Brandon’s football coach, Stephen Holmes, was the one to tell her on Sunday that her grandson's body had been found near Third Street in Manchester.
"He told me, 'My baby, my baby gone,'" she said.
Brandon's uncle added he would never want to miss the championship
"This game meant everything to him and his teammates," he said.
On Monday night, Brandon's teammates honored him in a special tribute at their state title game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Team captains solemnly held Smith's jersey, walking it to the 50-yard line as a powerful symbol of remembrance.
"He was a very important part of us getting here," Stephen Holmes, Blue Devils Head Coach, said. "You know (I'm) just all numb right now."
11Alive has requested Williams' mugshot but was told by the Meriwether County Sheriff's Office it will not be released until Wednesday.
