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Secoriea Turner was shot and killed in 2020 during protests over the police killing of Rayshard Brooks. After her death, a scholarship was created in her honor and the first one was just awarded to a Spelman College student.
ATLANTA – A scholarship in honor of an 8-year-old who was shot and killed in Atlanta has been awarded to its first recipient at Spelman.
Secoriea Turner was killed July 4, 2020, while riding in an SUV with her mother and her mother’s friend near the Wendy’s restaurant where Rayshard Brooks, a 27-year-old Black man, had been killed by a white police officer just weeks earlier.
To honor their daughter's legacy and turn their pain into hope for other families, Turner's family announced the creation of Secoriea's Social Justice Scholarship earlier this year.
Last week, the scholarship was awarded to Blair Moore, a sophomore English major at Spelman College from Oakland, California.
"This scholarship ensures that Secoriea’s legacy lives on, inspiring young leaders like Blair Moore to fight for social justice and equity," said Charmaine Turner, Secoriea’s mother. "Our family is overwhelmed with gratitude for the support of Spelman College and the organizations that made this possible."
The scholarship is a five-year commitment overseen by local nonprofit Black Women's Lab with assistance from the Black Man Lab and Let Us Make Man.
Donations to the fund can be made here.
According to police, Turner was riding in a Jeep with her mother and an adult friend when they turned off the Downtown Connector onto University Avenue slightly before 10 p.m. Protesters had recently erected illegal barricades, encircling the nearby Wendy's, authorities reported.
When the driver attempted to enter a liquor store parking lot on the 1200 block of Pryor Road, police say he was confronted by a group of armed individuals who had blocked the entrance. Authorities said at least two men fired multiple times at the vehicle, hitting Turner.
After the shooting, Turner's family drove straight to Atlanta Medical Center, where they met police officers. The young girl died after being treated for her injuries.
Authorities were notified of the resurrected blockages less than an hour before the shooting. The Atlanta Police Department said they had planned on checking out the area but were swamped with other pressing 911 calls.
Julian Jamal Conley and Jerrion Amari McKinney  (Fulton County Sheriff’s Office)
In 2021, a grand jury indicted 20-year-old Julian Conley and 23-year-old Jerrion McKinney. Conley is charged with malice murder and felony murder in Secoriea’s killing, and both men face aggravated assault, and gun and gang-related charges.
During all court proceedings, prosecutors have said both Conley and McKinney are gang members who were involved in the violent demonstration.
Conley and McKinney pled not guilty to the charges at a preliminary hearing in 2021.
They remain in jail without bond.
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