01-05-2025
2nd teen arrested after GA high school football player found dead day before championship game
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation announced a second arrest in the death of a high school player.
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Brandon Smith, a 17-year-old who went to Manchester High School, was last seen on Dec. 7, 2023, and was reported missing two days later.
His body was found on Dec. 10, 2023, behind a home. Investigators determined that he had been shot and killed following an argument.
On Thursday, the GBI and Meriwether County deputies arrested and charged Qua'vion Jakwon Cooper, 17, of Manchester, with murder, as a party to the crime for his role in the shooting death of Smith. The GBI said during the investigation, it was determined that Cooper helped and assisted A'darious Williams, who shot and killed Smith following the argument. Williams has also been charged with Smith's murder.
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Smith, a member of the Manchester High School Blue Devils football team, was supposed to be with his teammates the day after his body was found, playing for the Georgia 1-A State Football Championship.
Channel 2's Tyisha Fernandes spoke with his sister, Janiyah Smith, after the shooting. She said she looked up to her big brother.
'He was the best brother in the world,' Smith said. 'All that I could ask for to be honest.'
Cooper and Williams are being held in the Meriwether County Jail.
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