Siblings weren't targets of brutal murder, chief says

CLAYTON COUNTY, Ga. - Clayton County investigators are still searching for the killers who murdered two kids, but tell FOX 5 they are now speaking to a 15-year-old in police custody who was the actual target of the brutal crime.

Clayton County Police Chief Michael Register said the murders were gang-related, and a retaliatory move from a gang in the metro area; the individual or individuals shot and killed  Daveon Coates, 15, and his sister Tatiyana Coates, 11.

Investigators have learned the gang members were actually after another 15-year-old; police said the teen had moved into the victims' house from Tennessee with his mother and his siblings.

Police said that 15-year-old was not in the house at the time of the shooting, and fled the Atlanta area to Chattanooga after the ordeal. Investigators said the Atlanta-area gang members followed that teen up to Tennessee, and engaged in a shootout there.

Authorities said Tuesday they found the teenager who was the intended target in Chattanooga,  and are working to bring him back to Clayton County for questioning. Investigators believe he has critical information which will lead to arrests in the two murders.

“The community and the police have to ban together in order to find a solution to this violence of kids killing kids for the sake of being in a gang,” said Chief Register. “As I said yesterday, gangs are nothing more, especially the ones involved in this, are nothing more than punks, cowards and murderers.”

Police said they received a 911 call 5 a.m. Saturday from a home on Libby Lane Saturday morning. A child in the home called authorities to report someone entered and fired shots.

Officers arrived at the home to find six children, between the ages of 6 and 15, inside the home. Two of the children were shot. Both were later pronounced dead.

Their parents were not home at the time.

Police are asking anyone with information to come forward to police.