On the evening of July 4, 2020, eight-year-old Secoriea Turner, a female, was fatally shot in Atlanta, Georgia. She was a passenger in a Jeep, riding with her mother and her mother's friend, when their vehicle attempted to navigate around a makeshift barricade. The barricade had been erected by a group of armed individuals near the site of a Wendy's restaurant that had become a focal point for protests after the police killing of Rayshard Brooks weeks earlier.
As the driver tried to pass, at least one person from the group opened fire on the vehicle, and a bullet struck the young girl. She was rushed to a nearby hospital but tragically succumbed to her injuries.
The investigation into the senseless killing led to the arrests of two men, Julian Conley and Jerrion McKinney. Both men were associated with a street gang and were indicted on numerous charges. Prosecutors alleged that Conley was the individual who fired an AR-15 style rifle into the Jeep, striking Secoriea. McKinney was not accused of firing a weapon but was charged with murder for his role in stopping the vehicle and chasing it as it fled the scene.
In the ensuing legal proceedings, Jerrion McKinney chose to enter an Alford plea, a type of guilty plea where the defendant maintains their innocence but concedes that the prosecution has enough evidence to likely secure a conviction. He pleaded guilty to charges of aggravated assault, as well as gun and gang-related offenses. McKinney was subsequently sentenced to 40 years, with 20 of those years to be served in prison.
Julian Conley, the man accused of being the shooter, proceeded to trial. In September 2025, a jury found him guilty on multiple counts, including murder, felony murder, and five counts of aggravated assault. While he was acquitted of several gang-related charges, the convictions for murder carried a mandatory life sentence. The judge, calling Conley a 'self-appointed enforcer,' sentenced him to life in prison without the possibility of parole, in addition to an extra 25 years for the other charges, ensuring he would be held accountable for the death of Secoriea Turner.
