In the spring of 2019, a young man's life was tragically cut short in Austell, Georgia. Sixteen-year-old Namir Kelly, a student at South Cobb High School, was fatally shot on May 11, 2019, at the Chroma Park Apartments on Mesa Valley Way. The incident was the culmination of a planned fight between Kelly and another teenager.
The conflict escalated when 15-year-old Myliek Ryshiem Dunn pulled out a revolver during a verbal altercation and shot Kelly once in the chest. Following the shooting, Dunn fled the scene on foot, pursued by several of Kelly's friends. Kelly was transported to WellStar Cobb Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries.
Three days after the fatal shooting, law enforcement apprehended Dunn. The investigation revealed that the altercation was rooted in gang-related tensions. Dunn was identified as a member of a gang known as 'Rich Kid Nation' or RKN. Evidence gathered from Dunn's social media also linked him to a robbery and assault of a 14-year-old boy the month prior to the shooting.
Due to the severity of the crime, Dunn was charged as an adult. A Cobb County grand jury indicted him on multiple counts, including malice murder, felony murder, and violations of Georgia's Street Gang Terrorism and Prevention Act. In April 2021, at the age of 17, Dunn pleaded guilty to the murder of Namir Kelly. He was sentenced to life in prison. As part of his plea, Dunn also admitted to the earlier robbery. Other charges related to gang activity and aggravated assault were dropped as a result of his guilty plea.
