Two teenage alleged gang members have been indicted in a July shooting in Austell that resulted in the death of a 13-year-old boy, and a spokeswoman for the Georgia attorney general’s office says there are more such cases in the pipeline.

Police say Desiyah Reed was walking on Padgett Drive in Austell on July 21 when he was shot in the head, caught in the crossfire of a gang dispute. He died three days later at a hospital.

A Cobb County Grand Jury indicted two 14-year-olds in the case after hearing evidence earlier this month.

[The Cobb County Courier has a policy of withholding or redacting the name of suspects unless and until the person is convicted in a court of law or enters a plea of guilty. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty, and the internet has no effective way of removing reports of arrest if the person is exonerated. We do make exceptions in high-profile cases or charges against public officials where exoneration is likely to be as widely publicized as the initial arrest]

The first teen, from Austell, is charged with one count of voluntary manslaughter, five counts of aggravated assault, two counts of violating the Street Gang Terrorism and Prevention Act, and two firearms possession charges.

The second teen, who also lives in Austell, is charged with one count of voluntary manslaughter, three counts of aggravated assault, three counts of criminal damage to property in the first degree, two counts of violating the Street Gang Act, and two firearms possession charges.

The indictment alleges that the first teen is a member of “Young, Stupid, Reckless,” described as a hybrid criminal street gang, while the second teen allegedly belongs to “Sex, Money, Murder,” a national set of the Bloods. The gunfire is said to have stemmed from an ongoing conflict involving the two teens and other members of YSR.

“This is a tragedy that never should have been allowed to occur,” said Attorney General Chris Carr in a news release, “and it’s why we cannot let up in the fight against gang activity.”

“We’re dedicating all available resources to protecting our children from senseless violence.”

In the words of interim Cobb County Police Chief Dan Ferrell, this is “a painful reminder of the impact of gang violence on our community.”

Working to lessen that impact, the attorney general’s statewide Gang Prosecution Unit was created in 2022.

The unit previously worked with Cobb County Police in the investigation, prosecution, and conviction of a half-dozen gang members in two separate shootings in Marietta, one of which turned fatal.

Carr’s office says that since the unit began work, it has secured more than 115 convictions around the state.

And there’s no letup in sight.

“The Attorney General’s Gang Prosecution Unit has roughly 25 active cases around the state, including ongoing investigations and cases currently under indictment,” Kara Murray, spokeswoman for AG Chris Carr, told the Courier.

She said that in both the investigatory and indictment categories, primary charges include murder, manslaughter, aggravated assault, drive-by shooting, and drug and human trafficking.

Just this month, Murray added, an indictment was obtained in connection with a drive-by shooting in Richmond County (Augusta). In September, indictments were handed down in Bibb County (Macon) after an investigation into the sale and distribution of guns and drugs in Middle Georgia.

Carr’s office says that since the unit began work, it has investigated and prosecuted cases in all parts of Georgia, from Fulton and DeKalb counties in metro Atlanta to Lowndes County in the south to Chatham County in the coastal region.