The bond hearing for the suspect accused of the fatal Elleven45 Lounge shooting in Buckhead, which claimed the lives of two and left four injured, has been rescheduled. Karanji Reese, the 21-year-old suspect who turned himself in on June 5, faced a courtroom filled with the victims' family and friends on Tuesday, only for the proceedings to be postponed. This followed the revelation that Reese's defense attorney had not been notified of the bond hearing, according to FOX 5 Atlanta. Reese is charged with murder, aggravated assault, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony.
During the June 24 court appearance, the judge, Rachel Krause, expressed concerns about Reese's right to due process given the failure to notify his attorney, "Through the efforts of my staff, I cannot locate any record that Mr. Conner was notified that this hearing was supposed to take place today," she explained, leading to the rescheduling of the hearing for July 2. Reese, who will remain behind bars, saw his bond hearing delayed by Superior Court Judge Krause due to these irregularities. The hearing is now set to take place at the Fulton County Courthouse in Atlanta on July 5, as reported by WSB-TV.
The courtroom atmosphere was heavy with emotion as Tracey Eason, the mother of Mari Creighton, one of the victims of the May 12 shooting, confronted the man accused of her daughter's death. "It was very hard seeing him," Eason told WSB-TV, expressing the turmoil of grief and the prolonged wait during the court procedures. Mari Creighton, a former volleyball player at Albany State University, was killed in the shooting that took place at the popular nightclub on Peachtree Road. The same incident also resulted in the death of Nakyris Ridley, who was confirmed as the intended target.
Adding to the communal heartache, family members of the victims wore pink to court, a nod to Mari's favorite color. In a statement by Reese's attorney, Malcolm Conner maintained his client's innocence and refrained from litigating the case in the media, instead focusing on the gravity of the situation, as per WSB-TV. Meanwhile, the city of Atlanta is pursuing a legal action to shut down Elleven45 Lounge permanently in the wake of the shooting and subsequent lawsuits filed against the establishment.
