Two 'Bloods gang members', 19 and 23, are charged over death of eight-year-old girl gunned down during BLM riots at Atlanta Wendy's where Rayshard Brooks was shot dead by cop

Secoriea Turner, eight, 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

Two alleged gang members have been indicted on charges related to the death of an eight-year-old girl who was gunned down during Black Lives Matter riots in Atlanta last year.  

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.

A grand jury returned a 37-count indictment against Julian Conley, 19, and Jerrion McKinney, 23, on Friday. 

Conley is charged with malice murder and felony murder in Secoriea's killing, and both men face aggravated assault, gun and gang-related charges. 

'This case is the highest priority for my office,' Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis said, calling it 'one of the saddest cases I've seen.'

'We are alleging that Mr. Conley fired into the car when it failed to stop and respect their barricade, and that led to the tragic killing of Secoriea Turner,' Willis said during a news conference.

Both men had previously been arrested in connection with Secoriea's killing and were being held without bond.

A grand jury returned a 37-count indictment against Julian Conley, 19, and Jerrion McKinney, 23, on Friday. Conley is charged with malice murder and felony murder in Secoriea's killing, and both men face aggravated assault, gun and gang-related charges

Pictured: Charmaine Turner, mother of Secoriea, speaks outside of the Fulton County Courthouse after the two gang members were indicted in her daughters death on Friday

Fulton County District Attorney Fanni Willis speaks during a news conference at the Fulton County Courthouse in downtown Atlanta on Friday

Conley, 20, was arrested last year. An attorney for Conley who no longer represents him has previously said he was peacefully protesting and witnessed the shooting but did not open fire himself. No new attorney for Conley was listed in online court records.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation last week announced the arrest of 23-year-old McKinney. No attorney who could comment on the charges was listed for him in online court records.

Willis said the two men were members of the Bloods street gang.

As the driver of the car Secoriea was in pulled in near where Rayshard Brooks died at the hands of police, someone opened fire on the vehicle, police said

Wendy's restaurant was set on fire the day after Brooks' killing, and people protesting police brutality camped out at the site during the weeks that followed. 

Makeshift barricades had been set up in the area by members of the Bloods street gang who were protesting the killing of Brooks.

Willis said Brooks was also a member of the gang, but lawyers for his family said they had no knowledge of such an affiliation.

Authorities said armed men had been blocking roads and turning some drivers away. As the driver of the SUV Secoriea was riding in approached the barricade, armed people began walking toward the vehicle and signaling that the driver couldn't pass, according to officials.

'We are alleging that Mr. Conley fired into the car when it failed to stop and respect their barricade and that led to the tragic killing of Secoriea Turner,' Willis said.

Willis said Conley and McKinney are accused of guarding the barricade and encouraging the commission of various crimes as part of their participation in the Bloods, including aiming a firearm at at least two other people in a car the same day Secoriea was killed.

Rayshard Brooks, 27, the father of three daughters and had a stepson, was killed 12 June 2020, during a confrontation with two APD officers in the parking lot of a Wendy's restaurant

The Wendy's restaurant that was set on fire by demonstrators after Rayshard Brooks was killed is seen on June 17, 2020 in Atlanta. Secoriea Turner was killed nearby weeks later

Family and friends of Secoriea Turner present floral arrangements during her home-going service at New Calvary Missionary Church in Atlanta's Sylvan Hills community

L. Chris Stewart and Justin Miller, attorneys for the family of Brooks, said they 'have no knowledge or information regarding any alleged gang affiliation of Rayshard Brooks'.

Willis said she has video evidence that shows other people besides Conley and McKinney were involved in Secoriea's killing, and she urged anyone with information to call her office.

The city stopped tolerating protesters occupying the Wendy's site after Secoriea's killing, and the charred shell of the restaurant was demolished on July 14, 2020.

Secoriea's parents, Charmaine Turner and Secoriey Williamson, said the indictment brings them closer to justice for their daughter.

'We are thankful that at least two of the men have been captured and pray and hope that more arrests are made,' Turner said at a news conference after the charges were announced.

Bodycam footage of Rolfe left and Brooks right above. The Atlanta Civil Service Board announced its decision to reverse the termination of Rofle's employment with the force in May

A man armed with a rifle stands guard at the memorial that has grown around the Wendy's restaurant that was set on fire after Rayshard Brooks was killed, on June 16, 2020 in Atlanta

Turner and Williamson filed a lawsuit in June against the city and city officials. 

It says city leaders showed negligence in failing to remove armed vigilantes who gathered at the site along with peaceful protesters, creating a dangerous situation that led to the girl´s death. 

Atlanta Police Officer Garrett Rolfe, 27, fatally shot Brooks, 27, twice in the back as he ran from police during an arrest outside a Wendy's on June 12, 2020

Meanwhile, Brooks was shot dead by an Atlanta cop in June 2020 outside of the very same Wendy's near where Secoriea was shot and killed.

Brooks was allegedly a Bloods gang member and his death sparked the gang's takeover of a section of the city's downtown, according to an arrest warrant.

The gang operated the area around the burnt-out restaurant under the guise of 'peaceful protestors' in an 'autonomous zone' and set up illegal barriers. 

They wouldn't let police or anyone else in, officials say.  

The details of Brooks' alleged gang affiliation was revealed in an arrest warrant for McKinney, which was obtained by The Atlantic Journal-Constitution . 

This new information comes to light more than a year after Atlanta Police Officer Garrett Rolfe, 27, fatally shot Brooks, 27, twice in the back as he ran from police during an arrest outside the Wendy's on June 12, 2020. 

Rolfe was originally called to the Wendy's last June when Brooks fell asleep at the wheel in the drive thru. 

Bodycam and dashcam footage shows the officers arriving on the scene to find the black father-of-four asleep.  

The cops and Brooks are seen in the footage having a calm conversation for more than 40 minutes with Brooks initially cooperating with officers.    

When Brooks failed a sobriety test and the officers tried to arrest him, a scuffle broke out and Brooks grabbed one of the officer's Tasers and ran off.

He was shot twice by Rolfe, with the officer claiming Brooks turned to fire the Taser in his direction.  

The white cop's shooting of a black man in the aftermath of George Floyd's murder sparked outrage and protests in the community.  

Rayshard Brooks, pictured here five months before his June 2020 death at the hands of an Atlanta police officer, is alleged to be a Bloods gang members. His family's lawyers have denied this