Secoriea Turner and her parents/Photo courtesy of Heavy.com
The parents of eight-year-old Secoriea Turner have filed a lawsuit against the city of Atlanta, reported Fox 5 Atlanta. The victim was shot and killed near the site where Rayshard Brooks was killed by the police weeks before.
Charmaine Turner and Secoriey Williamson, the victim’s parents, claim that the city did not do enough to prevent the dangerous situation that led to their daughter’s death during a string of protests that occurred after Brooks was killed.
“Secoriea should be here. None of what we’re doing will ever bring our baby back. Her life is priceless,” the child’s mother said.
The Wendy’s restaurant where Brooks was killed became the site of a makeshift encampment with provisional barricades. Several of the campers were armed men who would turn cars away as they drove towards the barricades. When the vehicle that Secoriea Turner was riding in approached the barricades, at least one of the men shot at it. The child was killed.
After Secoriea was killed, the city started to disallow the protestors to remain at the site. The restaurant had long been charred due to a fire set in the earlier days of the protest. What remained of the restaurant was demolished on July 14.
The filing claims that the city knew that the militia-style group occupied the peaceful protest and failed to act. Two people were shot by this group in June, well before Secoriea’s death on July 4, 2020. The city of Atlant and police leaders failed to respond to citizens who requested their assistance.
A June 17 email from the police department was quoted in the filing. It instructed officers to respond to victims of violence but “not be overly proactive in any shape, form or fashion.”
Julian Conley, 20, was arrested and charged with Secoriea’s death after turning himself in the day after the incident. His attorney has claimed that although his client was there, he did not fire any shots.
The attorney for Charmaine Turner and Secoriey Williamson maintains that the city purposely decided not to have law enforcement patrol a certain location and therefore failed to provide basic public safety.
The family is asking for a jury trial and wants that panel to decide on any monetary damages in the case.