In late summer 2017, 17-year-old Miles Sanders was found dead inside a home on Wilson Circle in Marietta, Georgia, after a 911 call on August 27 led police to the scene. The death was initially reported as a gun accident, but investigators reclassified it after interviews and scene processing pointed toward foul play.

Police arrested two teenagers, 16-year-old Harrison Summerour and 17-year-old Nicholas Palmer, who were identified in arrest warrants as being associated with the Crips. Warrants allege both arrived armed — Summerour with a .22-caliber pistol and Palmer with two .40-caliber handguns — and that Summerour fired the shot that killed Sanders; Summerour is also accused of pointing a weapon at another person at the scene. Both were to be prosecuted as adults and faced felony murder and gang-related charges; additional counts included aggravated assault and possession of a pistol by a minor.

Neighbors said Sanders was not believed to have been involved in gang activity, leaving questions about motive and why he was killed.