A’darius Jashawn Williams: Teen arrested for fatally shooting high school footballer Brandon Smith who went missing on championship game eve
ATLANTA, GEORGIA: Nearly a month following the disappearance and tragic death of a talented high school football player, who was discovered shot behind a Georgia house just a day before his anticipated championship win, authorities announced this week that they have apprehended a suspect and charged him with murder.
A'darius Jashawn Williams, 19, was arrested on January 2 for murder in Manchester, a town situated approximately 75 miles south of Atlanta, as per a statement from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation released on Wednesday.
Charges against A'darius Jashawn Williams
Police have charged Williams with the shooting of 17-year-old Brandon Smith, a defensive lineman for Manchester High School, around December 7, just two days before Smith's family first reported him missing.
The GBI, tasked with investigating Smith's disappearance last month, asserts that their inquiry led to the conclusion that Williams and Smith engaged in an argument before the shooting occurred.
The details of the dispute are unknown as the investigation is still ongoing. It remains unclear whether the teenagers had any prior interactions. The high school student was last seen on December 7.
Brandon Smith's grandmother revealed details
Unable to reach Smith despite numerous attempts, his grandmother Maxcine Atkinson, referred to as Maxine Smith in media reports, reported him missing on December 9.
According to ALIVE, she received a call the following day from the boy's football coach informing her that her grandson's body had been discovered behind someone's house.
On the same day, just in time for a highly anticipated championship game, Smith's high school issued a public letter to the distressed student body. Investigators suspected foul play right from the start, according to reports.
Smith's grandmother, who has been raising the 17-year-old since he was a baby, informed The New York Post that she believed her grandson "wanted to tell her something he couldn't" the night before he disappeared and was later found dead.
Contrary to his usual early bedtime routine, the victim's grandmother disclosed to the newspaper that on the last night he was alive, her grandson had clandestinely left his room at some point during the night.
When she went to wake him up the next morning, she discovered that he had left during the night, she informed the police.
Brandon Smith's team lost the match
According to the boy's grandmother, her grandson had a great love for his family and was "good to people," especially the neighborhood kids whom he enjoyed playing football or basketball with in his spare time.
In December, she also said that her grandson was a "good boy" and that he "didn't do nothing wrong." The Manchester Blue Devils, the victim's team, lost the match by a single point.
Williams has reportedly been booked into the Meriwether County Jail and is being held without bond, according to the police. Anyone with information or tips is asked to contact the Georgia Bureau of Investigation at 706-565-7888. You can leave an anonymous tip online or by calling 1-800-597-8477, Law&Crime stated.
