'A little girl that should be here': Beef with 7-year-old's older brother prompts teens to shoot into home, killing girl and injuring her mother, cops say

Two Georgia teens changeable into an Atlanta location aft a beef with 1 of the radical wrong — but alternatively of hitting their intended target, the bullets killed a 7-year-old miss and injured her mother.

Preston Smith, 19, and Steven Richardson, 17, are charged with murder, attempted execution and 3 counts of aggravated battle successful the shooting death of 7-year-old Zoey Price.

Cops responded soon earlier 10 p.m. Feb. 24 for a report of a shooting astatine a location successful the 2200 artifact of Tiger Flowers Dr. NW. They recovered Zoey and her parent suffering from gunshot wounds. Both were rushed to a infirmary wherever doctors pronounced the miss dead. Her 44-year-old parent survived.

Atlanta Police Deputy Chief Prenzinna Spann told reporters Tuesday astatine a press conference that Smith and Zoey's member were speaking connected the telephone erstwhile they got into an argument. Smith allegedly threatened to sprout up the brother's home. The suspect past picked up Richardson and they drove to the Price location wherever they opened occurrence arsenic they drove by, Spann said.

Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens said Zoey is "a small miss that should beryllium here." He said household members described her arsenic a agleam and compassionate child.

"She was conscionable a amusive kid to beryllium around," helium said.

Zoey participated successful the city's cheerleading and hoops programs.

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"She was doing what kids her property bash and what they're expected to beryllium doing, gathering friendships and increasing up learning astir teamwork," Dickens said. "Her beingness was chopped abbreviated successful an enactment of senseless violence. And that nonaccomplishment is not abstract. It is simply a seat that is going to beryllium missing astatine the meal array each night. It is an bare schoolroom spot adjacent to her friends that are going to beryllium mourning the nonaccomplishment with her teachers, her classmates and the remainder of the school."

Richardson was arrested connected Thursday portion Smith turned himself successful to constabulary connected Tuesday, cops said.