An online fight over a woman led to last year’s shootout that killed a baby girl in the parking lot of a Cobb County hotel, prosecutors revealed during a plea hearing Monday for one of the shooters.
One of six people charged in connection with the Sept. 23 shooting of 9-month-old Aziah McDougle pleaded guilty in exchange for 30 years behind bars.
While Noah Martin did not fire the round that struck baby Aziah as she sat in her stroller, the 22-year-old did go to the Cumberland-area hotel with plans of helping his friend shoot another man, prosecutor Stephanie Green told the judge.
Credit: Photo courtesy of GoFundMe
Credit: Photo courtesy of GoFundMe
Authorities said Martin was in the backseat of an SUV driven by co-defendant Jayvian Young when the men sped into the parking lot of the Budgetel Inn & Suites along Circle 75 Parkway, not far from Truist Park. Green said the two jumped out of the red Toyota and began shooting at Ladarrius Brown, who returned fire.
Brown and Young had been engaged in a heated Instagram fight over a woman, Green said in court. Prosecutors said Brown challenged Young to a duel of sorts, and that the two agreed to meet at the hotel to engage in a firefight.
Martin, she said, tagged along to help his friend.
Credit: Ben Hendren
Credit: Ben Hendren
“Young knew exactly what he was going there to do,” Green said, noting the shootout was captured on the hotel’s surveillance cameras.
Nearly two dozen rounds were fired that night, and Aziah and her mother were caught in the crossfire. Investigators determined the round recovered from the infant’s skull and been fired from Young’s gun, Green said.
Credit: Ben Hendren
Credit: Ben Hendren
In the days after the shooting, prosecutors said Martin got rid of his weapon, left his cellphone with a relative and told his girlfriend “she needed to forget about him.”
Aziah’s mother looked on in court as Martin pleaded guilty to five charges, including voluntary manslaughter, cruelty to children, criminal damage to property, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony and making false statements.
As part of his plea deal, he was sentenced to 30 years in prison and another decade on probation.
Cobb Superior Court Judge Vic Reynolds called the case “tragic all the way around.” It was tragic because a 9-month-old girl senselessly lost her life, he said — and it was tragic because Martin had just been handed a prison sentence longer than he’s been alive.
Reynolds said the case was an example of how “silly words” can carry stiff consequences when they’re acted upon.
“You were brought into a situation that wasn’t yours,” he told Martin. And it was all “because some girl started something up between two guys.”
About the Author
Keep Reading
The Latest
Featured
