Atlanta Society category interest

ATLANTA — A scholarship has been announced in the name of a girl who was shot and killed during the Rayshard Brooks protests in 2020.

The family of Secoriea Turner and community members held a press conference Friday at the Saint Paul A.M.E. Church on Pryor Road to announce the launch of "Secoriea's Social Justice Scholarship."

Secoriea Turner was just 8 years old when she was tragically killed riding in a car during the Rayshard Brooks protests near the old Wendy’s on University Avenue where Brooks was killed. The street had been blockaded by armed groups in the days after the Wendy's was burned down amidst the protesting, and Secoriea was shot as the car pulled around the barricade to try to go into a parking lot.

The local non-profit Black Women’s Lab will facilitate the scholarship initiative. Support for this effort comes from Let Us Make Man and Black Man Lab, organizations dedicated to social justice and community empowerment.

RELATED: Defendant's criminal history can be used as evidence in trial about Secoriea Turner's death, Fulton DA says

One of its goals is to raise $10,000 in 10 days. The Turner family, alongside representatives from these organizations, will share more about the scholarship's initiatives and how it aims to support young individuals in the community by fostering education and social justice awareness.

Secoriea's mother, Charmaine Turner, has been vocal about her desire to turn the tragedy into a positive force for change. She emphasizes the importance of investing in the next generation to build a better and more just society.

“We know we have to keep fighting. And by having a young lady go to college, I feel like that’s a positive way to keep our daughter’s spirit alive,” Turner said, adding her daughter dreamed of going to Spelman College.

Secoriea’s father said this is a way for them to push forward.

“So we just decided to help another child and start a foundation in her name,” he said. “And maybe we could help another young woman go to college and keep her name alive the best we can.”

Both said the legal aspect has been frustrating.

Multiple court delays and arguments from attorneys over evidence have caused the case to drag on. Currently, the two defendants, Julian Conley and Jerrion McKinney, remain in the Fulton County jail, and they are awaiting trial.

In 2020, Julian Conley turned himself in at APD headquarters, and in 2021, officers arrested Jerrion McKinney.

Prosecutors accused Conley of shooting a gun at the car Secoriea was sitting in. He is charged with felony and malice murder, along with gang crimes, aggravated assault and unlawful gun possession.

McKinney is accused of manning an illegal barricade or roadblock in the area where Secoriea was killed. He is charged with gang crimes, aggravated assault and unlawful gun possession in connection with her killing.