Latest news with #QaadirMalikLewis
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Authorities Rule Twin Brothers' Death In Georgia Mountains 'Suicide-Suicide'
Content Warning: This post discusses suicide and self-harm. The heartbreaking mystery surrounding 19-year-old twin brothers Qaadir Malik Lewis and Naazir Rahim Lewis has taken another turn. Nearly three months after their bodies were found at the summit of Bell Mountain in northern Georgia, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) has ruled their deaths a double suicide. Their family, however, has refused a 'suicide' determination from the beginning. The twins, who hailed from Lawrenceville — a quiet suburb just outside Atlanta — were discovered by hikers on March 8 in Hiawassee, Georgia, nearly 90 miles from home. According to the GBI's May 21 press release, autopsy results and investigative findings led officials to conclude that Qaadir and Naazir died by what they termed a 'suicide-suicide.' The GBI report also revealed that purchase records show one of the twins ordered the same type of ammunition used in the firearm found at the scene. The delivery arrived at their home on March 5, just days before their bodies were discovered atop Bell Mountain. Investigators also claim that the brothers' phone history included troubling searches, such as how to load a gun and 2024 suicide statistics. 'Forensic evidence showed that the Lewis brothers fired a gun,' reads the press release, noting that the injuries sustained appeared to be self-inflicted. These findings also included the arrest and termination of a firefighter who was accused of taking unauthorized photos at the crime scene and circulating them publicly. From the beginning, the narrative that one brother killed the other and then himself has clashed with everything their loved ones know about them. Their uncle, Rahim Brawner, told WXIA that the twins were not just close — they were inseparable. 'They're very protective of each other. They love each other,' he said. 'I couldn't imagine them hurting each other because I've never seen them get into a fistfight before.' That kind of bond, he says, makes the official ruling hard to believe. What's even more perplexing is that the brothers booked plane tickets to Boston for March 7, the day before they were found dead. Reportedly, the tickets were never used and were still tucked away in their wallets when they were found deceased. According to family members, the twins had no ties to Hiawassee, had never mentioned Bell Mountain, and certainly weren't hikers. 'How did they end up out in the mountains?' Brawner asked. 'They never even heard of Bell Mountain, so how did they end up right there?' Their aunt, Yasmine Brawner, echoed that same disbelief. 'They had a huge support system. We know them. They wouldn't do anything like this. To say they did this to each other? No. Something happened in those mountains, and we want answers.' The family continues to have a GoFundMe campaign active to cover funeral expenses and fuel their fight for justice with a private investigator. The page, which has raised more than $68,000 so far, includes a powerful message from their uncle: 'In recent news reports, it was claimed that they took their own lives. My nephews wouldn't do this! They came from a family of love, and the twins wanted so much for their future. They had dreams of starting their very own clothing line.' If you're thinking about suicide, are worried about a friend or loved one, or would like emotional support, contact the 24-hour National Suicide Prevention Lifeline by dialing 988. More from Wallo Talks A Man Down From Jumping Off Bridge In Viral Video Doechii Reveals She's Had Suicidal Thoughts And Shares How She Overcame Them OG Maco Pronounced Dead At 32 After Hospitalization From Gunshot To Head
News.com.au
25-05-2025
- News.com.au
Police reveal what really happened to twin brothers found fatally shot on Georgia mountain
Authorities have ruled the mysterious deaths of twin 19-year-old brothers found fatally shot on a Georgia mountain a double suicide. The bodies of Qaadir Malik Lewis and Naazir Rahim Lewis from Lawrenceville, a suburb of Atlanta, were discovered on March 8 around 145km away in Hiawassee, at the summit of Bell Mountain, close to the North Carolina border. The teens had planned to fly to Boston to visit their friends on the morning of March 7, but 24 hours later, they were found dead in a remote part of the state they had never visited before, their family said. Both deaths have now been declared suicides, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) announced in a statement Wednesday. 'Based on the results of the medical examiner's autopsy and other investigative findings, their deaths have been ruled suicide-suicide. GBI agents have met with the Lewis family to share the findings,' the statement read. Cellular location data from the pair's phones established their movements from their home to Bell Mountain, the GBI said. 'In the video that corresponds to those locations, the Lewis brothers are seen alone,' the statement reads. Only Naazir was seen travelling to the airport on March 7, but he never caught his flight and returned home, the GBI said. Qaadir did not have an airline ticket. The ammunition used in the gun that fired the fatal shots was purchased by Naazir and arrived at his home on March 5, according to records seen by the GBI. Though the agency didn't specify how they obtained the weapon. Both brothers searched on their phones for how to load a gun, suicide rates in 2024 and other chilling related searches, according to internet history retrieved by the GBI. The brothers concurrently fired the fatal shots, according to forensic evidence, and the injuries were self-inflicted, the GBI said following its investigation. The investigation into their deaths is set to be formally closed in the coming weeks. A Hiawassee volunteer firefighter, Scott Kerlin, 42, has been formally charged with misdemeanour obstruction after allegedly taking photos of the twins' death scene and sharing them publicly, the GBI said. Investigators originally thought that the twins' deaths could be a murder-suicide, although this theory was fiercely rejected by their family. The family launched a GoFundMe to hire a private investigator to examine the case, after they dismissed the theory that the pair took their own lives. 'My nephews wouldn't do this! They came from a family of love, and the twins wanted so much for their future; they had dreams of starting their very own clothing line,' the twins' aunt, Yasmine Brawner, wrote on the fundraising page. 'Something happened at Bell Mountain,' she added. The family earlier called for further investigation as to how they ended up in such a remote area. 'How did they end up out in the mountains? They don't hike out there, they've never been out there. They don't know anything about Hiawassee, Georgia. They never even heard of Bell Mountain, so how did they end up right there?' the boy's uncle, Rahim Brawner, told 11Alive News. The family did not respond immediately to requests for comment.
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Yahoo
GBI says teen brothers died of self-inflicted injuries on north GA mountain
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation says it has finished looking into the deaths of twin brothers from Gwinnett County. On March 8, hikers found Qaadir Malik Lewis and Naazir Rahim Lewis dead from gunshot wounds at the top of Bell Mountain in north Georgia. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] Investigators initially ruled their deaths as a murder-suicide. They sent their bodies to the GBI lab for autopsies. The GBI has now confirmed that the injuries both teens received were self-inflicted. RELATED STORIES: Autopsy results for twins found dead at top of GA mountain pending for more tests North GA volunteer firefighter arrested for sharing photos of twins' death scene on social media Twin brothers shot, killed in murder-suicide at top of mountain, GBI officials say After their deaths, the twins' family members spoke with Channel 2 Action News and said they did not believe the teens died in a murder-suicide. 'We're just trying to figure out what happened. We're trying put pieces together to understand. How did they end out in the mountains? They don't hike out there. They have never been out there,' said Samira Brawner, the twins' aunt. A firefighter who responded to the scene, 43-year-old Scott Kerlin, was arrested and charged after being accused of taking photos of the scene and sharing them on social media. [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
USA Today
19-03-2025
- USA Today
Twin brothers found dead in Georgia mountains; family rejects murder-suicide assumption
Twin brothers found dead in Georgia mountains; family rejects murder-suicide assumption The deaths of twin brothers found with gunshot wounds at the top of Georgia's Bell Mountain was assumed to be a "murder suicide" in a preliminary investigation, authorities said. However, family members are telling multiple outlets they don't believe that is the case. The bodies of the two brothers, identified as Qaadir Malik Lewis and Naazir Rahim Lewis, both 19 of Lawrenceville, Georgia, were found on the morning of March 8 shortly after 11 a.m. by hikers, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) said in a March 9 news release. GBI said the agency was called in by the Towns County Sheriff's Office "shortly after the discovery." "Both men were found with gunshot wounds," GBI said in the news release, noting a preliminary investigation determined the "deaths to be a murder suicide." However, officials were still investigating, authorities said. GBI, in an update Sunday, said the autopsies of the bodies were completed but the "official ME ruling and results are pending additional forensic tests." Family rejects murder-suicide assumption While authorities have not revealed further information on the deaths, the family of the brothers have rejected the assumption that the incident was a murder-suicide. 'They're very protective of each other. They love each other,' their uncle Rahim Brawner told NBC-affiliate KSDK. 'They're like inseparable. I couldn't imagine them hurting each other because I've never seen them get into a fistfight before.' The twins' family told the media outlet they thought the twins were visiting friends in Boston at the time, adding the brothers had booked a flight to Boston for 7 a.m. on the Friday before but never made the flight. Less than 24 hours later, the two were found dead in an area they had reportedly never visited before with their plane tickets in their wallets. 'How did they end up out in the mountains? They don't hike out there, they've never been out there,' Brawner said to KSDK. 'They don't know anything about Hiawassee, Georgia. They never even heard of Bell Mountain, so how did they end up right there?' No new updates on twin brothers' deaths Located near the North Carolina border, Bell Mountain is about a two- and half-hour drive from Atlanta. The boys' hometown, Lawrenceville, a suburb of Atlanta, is located approximately 30 miles northeast of downtown. It is not immediately clear how the two brothers ended up on the mountain and why they were there. GBI, in an email to USA TODAY Monday, said the agency had no new updates to report and that an investigation is ongoing. The Towns County Sheriff's Office, meanwhile, did not immediately respond to USA TODAY's request for more information on the case. "To say they did this to each other? No. Something happened in those mountains, and we want answers," the duo's aunt Yasmine Brawner told KSDK. Twins came from a 'family of love,' says aunt Brawner has set up a GoFundMe to cover funeral expenses for the brothers with a goal of $20,000. The account had collected more than $23,000 as of Monday morning. In the account's description, she once again refuted the idea that "they took their own lives," saying, "my nephews wouldn't do this!" "They came from a family of love, and twins wanted so much for their future, they had dreams of starting their very own clothing line," she wrote. "Unfortunately, something happened at Bell Mountain that ended the lives of 19-year-old Qaadir and Naazir, which needs to be further investigated." USA TODAY has reached out to Brawner. Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at sshafiq@ and follow her on X and Instagram @saman_shafiq7.
USA Today
19-03-2025
- USA Today
Firefighter fired after allegedly sharing photos of Georgia twin brothers' death scene
Firefighter fired after allegedly sharing photos of Georgia twin brothers' death scene A volunteer firefighter has been fired and arrested after being accused of taking photos at the scene of the deaths of two brothers in Georgia and sharing them publicly, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation announced Tuesday. The 42-year-old man was charged with misdemeanor obstruction in connection with the investigation of the deaths of Qaadir Malik Lewis and Naazir Rahim Lewis, both 19. Atlanta television station 11Alive reported that the firefighter was fired from the Towns County Fire Department on March 14 for violating department protocol. USA TODAY reached out to the department and Towns County but did not receive an immediate response. Hikers found the bodies of the two brothers on the morning of March 8, the bureau previously said. There was no new information on the death investigation in the announcement Tuesday. Investigators have said they believe the brothers' deaths were a murder-suicide, but the boys' family has rejected that. "I couldn't imagine them hurting each other because I've never seen them get into a fistfight before,' their uncle, Rahim Brawner, told KSDK-TV. The agency said Sunday that the autopsies were completed but the official ruling by the medical examiner was pending forensic tests. USA TODAY reached out to the firefighter on Tuesday but did not receive an immediate response. It's unclear if he has an attorney. Family rejects murder suicide assumption The twins' family told the media outlet they thought the twins were visiting friends in Boston at the time, adding the brothers had booked a flight to Boston for 7 a.m. on the Friday before but never made the flight. Less than 24 hours later, the two were found dead in an area they had reportedly never visited before with their plane tickets in their wallets. It is not immediately clear how the two brothers ended up on the mountain and why they were there. 'How did they end up out in the mountains? They don't hike out there, they've never been out there,' Brawner said to KSDK. 'They don't know anything about Hiawassee, Georgia. They never even heard of Bell Mountain, so how did they end up right there?' Located near the North Carolina border, Bell Mountain is about a two-and-a-half-hour drive from Atlanta. The boys' hometown, Lawrenceville, a suburb of Atlanta, is located approximately 30 miles northeast of downtown. "To say they did this to each other? No. Something happened in those mountains, and we want answers," the brothers' aunt Yasmine Brawner told KSDK. Brawner has set up a GoFundMe to cover funeral expenses for the brothers with a goal of $20,000. The account had collected more than $23,000 as of Monday morning. In the account's description, she again refuted the murder suicide claim. "Unfortunately, something happened at Bell Mountain that ended the lives of 19-year-old Qaadir and Naazir, which needs to be further investigated," Brawner wrote. Case has echoes of Kobe Bryant lawsuit The allegations of sharing photos of a death scene had echoes of the scandal that followed the sharing of photos of the helicopter crash that killed Kobe Bryant, his daughter and seven others on Jan. 26, 2020. In 2023, the Bryant family settled claims against Los Angeles County for a total of $28.5 million after Bryant's widow, Vanessa Bryant, won a $15 million judgment against the county. Bryant had sued the county several months after the crash, alleging that county sheriff's and fire department employees used their personal phones to take and share horrific photos from the crash scene of her daughter Gianna and husband Kobe. Her attorneys said the first responders had no legitimate business reason for doing so and instead were violating her privacy rights by using the photos as souvenirs or objects of amusement. The photos scandal cost the county more than $51 million in settlements, including $19.95 million for fellow plaintiff Cliff Chester and $1.25 million each for two other families that lost loved ones in the same crash. In September of 2020, California adopted the so-called "Kobe Bryant Law" that made it a misdemeanor for first responders to take unauthorized photos of dead victims at accident or crime scenes. Contributing: Brent Schrotenboer
