In the late hours of a July night in Buford, Georgia, the life of 15-year-old Branden Gerena was tragically cut short. The young man, who had just completed his freshman year at Buford High School, was with a friend behind a gas station on Thompson Mill Road after midnight on July 1, 2019, when they were approached by a man in his 20s. In an instant, a single gunshot shattered the night, and Branden fell, the victim of what investigators would later describe as a robbery gone wrong. He was rushed to a local hospital but ultimately succumbed to his injuries.
The investigation into the shooting quickly painted a grim picture. Police believe Branden and his friend were at the gas station to sell marijuana when two men arrived with the intention of robbing them. Surveillance footage captured the moments leading up to the fatal encounter, showing the teenagers in front of the gas station before they moved to the back, an area without cameras. It was there that Branden was shot in the head. The suspect, described as a Black man in his 20s wearing blue jeans, a black jacket with red lettering, and a backward baseball hat, fled the scene with Branden's backpack and the marijuana.
Within days, the Gwinnett County Police Department made its first arrest in the case. Denzel Wilburn, 21, of Buford, was taken into custody and accused of being the getaway driver. He was charged with armed robbery and conspiracy to commit a misdemeanor. The alleged shooter, however, remained at large. Authorities identified him as 20-year-old Savion Nathaniel Dillard of Jonesboro and issued warrants for his arrest on charges of felony murder, armed robbery, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, and aggravated assault.
A little over two weeks after the shooting, the search for Dillard came to an end. On July 16, he was apprehended by the U.S. Marshals Task Force in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Following his capture, authorities announced he would be extradited back to Georgia to face the charges against him.
