On the evening of March 4, 2023, a Sweet 16 birthday party in Douglasville, Georgia, with more than 100 teenagers in attendance, ended in gunfire when the crowd spilled into the street after the homeowners began shutting the gathering down for smoking marijuana. Fourteen-year-old Aj’anaye Hill, a freshman at Douglas County High School, was struck by a bullet and killed as attendees scattered. Another teenager, 15-year-old Samuel Moon, was also killed and seven other teens, ages 14 to 19, were wounded.

The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office investigated the incident as gang-related and said the victims were not believed to have been the intended targets. Authorities arrested several suspects, including 18-year-old Timothy Lamar Coleman, 17-year-old twins Chase and Chance McDowell, 17-year-old Kingston Cottman, and 21-year-old Takhel Beverly Smart, on charges that included mass murder counts, aggravated assault and battery, and gang-related offenses.

Aj’anaye’s life and schooling were cut tragically short. If anyone attended the party or has information about the shooting, please share what is known with investigators.