ATLANTA — Charmaine Turner, the mother of an 8-year-old girl who was shot and killed this summer near the burned-out Wendy's in Atlanta where Rayshard Brooks was killed, made a plea Friday morning for continued community support in finding her daughter's killers.
She made a public address at 10:30 a.m. with her family attorney and the homicide support group G.R.I.E.V.E.
"Although she is overjoyed to have her two sons with her as Christmas nears, Secoriea's death has left a hole in her heart that will never be filled," a release said. "To make matters worse for Charmaine, she knows that those who may be responsible for Secoriea's death are still out there, and leads have been few and far between."
According to the release, Turner is "is making a plea to those in the community who may be able to provide information about her killer or killers to law enforcement."
One person has been charged, but police are still looking for others who may have been involved.
Her mother said the holidays will look different this year with Secoriea gone.
"Most holidays, Secoriea is the one, she's the loudest," she said. "She always has been lighting up the room. She's always loud making everybody laugh and we won't get to experience that this year."
The family has arranged for a public service announcement on her daughter's case to run on Comcast networks in Fulton County, as well.
Last month, the family released balloons at Secoriea's gravesite on what would have been her 9th birthday.
Turner was killed on the night of July 4th when men blocking University Ave. fired into the car she was riding in with her mother and another person. They had been trying to turn into the parking lot of a package store on the street, a short distance from the Wendy's where Rayshard Brooks had been shot and killed.
The street around the burned-out Wendy's had been the site of protests and a kind of occupation by demonstrators. Organizers who were active at the site remained adamant they had no connection to the gunmen who were wandering the street that night.
A 19-year-old, Julian Conley, faces a murder charge in Turner's death. He was last denied bond at a hearing in July. His attorney said his client was in the area that night, but never fired a weapon.
The family believes others involved in the killing are still at large. Turner's family is suing the city of Atlanta for $12 million, saying that Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms and other city officials "turned a blind eye and failed to protect the safety of the public" by "omitting to act and clear the area of the barricade and the violent armed civilians that surrounded it."