A’darius Jashawn Williams, 19, arrested in connection to the death of high school football player Brandon Smith. Smith, the 17-year-old defensive lineman for Manchester High School, was found dead on December 10, a day before his team was set to contend for the state championship, as reported by FOX 5 Atlanta. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation disclosed that an alleged argument led Williams to shoot Smith.
Details concerning the relationship between Smith and Williams, or the nature of the argument that culminated in a the shooting, remain unclear. Williams now faces murder charges and has been booked into Meriwether County Jail. Maxine Smith, Brandon’s grandmother told 11Alive News, "I woke up Friday morning and I knew he was gone. So I’m up, kept calling his cellphone, couldn't find him, couldn’t find him, so I called the school."
The Manchester community rallied in remembrance of their lost player. Brandon's teammates honored him with an earnest tribute at the state title game, somberly carrying Smith’s jersey to the midway mark of the playing field. "He was a very important part of us getting here," remarked Blue Devils Head Coach Stephen Holmes, who had conveyed the tragic news of Brandon's death to his grandmother, in an interview with 11Alive News.
Robert Griffin and Suzie Neal, respectively the Superintendent of Meriwether Schools and Manchester High School Principal, expressed their heartbreak in a joint letter.
