Tragedy in Georgia as Teen Football Star Is Shot Dead While on a Date With His Girlfriend

Elijah DeWitt Elijah DeWitt Shooting Elijah DeWitt Death Bailey Reidling

By Joel Brussels , Parent Herald Oct 13, 08:09 pm

Photo: (Photo : ELIJAH NOUVELAGE/AFP via Getty Images)

What was supposed to be a lovely date night for a teenage couple turned into a tragedy when a high school football star in Georgia was fatally shot in a restaurant parking lot.

Bailey Reidling talked to Fox News Digital about the shooting that claimed the life of her longtime boyfriend, Elijah DeWitt. She said she ran over to DeWitt when he was on the ground. The last word he said to her when she went right over to him was, "help."

DeWitt, a standout senior wide receiver on the Jefferson High School football team, and Reidling started dating five years ago. The longtime couple went to Dave & Busters at the Sugarloaf Mills Mall for a date. Reidling said they met up with friends in that Lawrenceville place to grab dinner and play games at the eatery's arcade.

Reidling found Dewitt lying on the pavement after shooting

Reidling said that DeWitt kissed her on the forehead when they were ready to order food and gave her his credit card. Reidling went to the bathroom first, and when she came out, she said that her boyfriend was nowhere to be found.

When Reidling stepped outside to look for DeWitt, she saw her boyfriend lying on the pavement. She told the media outlet that everything was red. She was panicked when she ran over to him.

Reidling said she checked his pulse and got freaked out because nothing was going on there. She added that some sweet lady came around the corner and told her he had just gotten shot. The lady asked her to calm down, telling Reidling that they called 911 and they were already on their way, according to People Magazine.

Teen suspects arrested following DeWitt's death

The Gwinnett Police Department said in a statement that cops arrived shortly after 8:15 p.m. They found DeWitt deceased on the ground with several gunshot wounds. The victim's mother, Dawn Dewitt, said that her life just came completely to a screeching halt in seconds.

On Friday, the Gwinnett Police Department announced that two suspects were located in South Carolina. Lawrenceville natives Chandler Richardson and Kemare Bryan were arrested and charged in connection with the death of DeWitt.

The teen suspects were brought back to Georgia on Tuesday, where they were booked into the Gwinnett County Jail, according to NBC News. Richardson and Bryan are both charged with malice murder, aggravated assault, felony murder, and possession of a firearm during the commission of certain felonies in connection with Elijah Dewitt's murder, police announced.

It is unclear whether Bryan and Richardson have retained attorneys who can speak on their behalf. According to Gwinnett Police, detectives have reason to believe that this was not a random encounter between the victim and the suspects and that some of the parties involved in DeWitt's death were known to each other.