TLDR
- Jalen Breon Brown, 22, of Georgia, had been indicted on murder and other charges in the shooting death of Ava Le’Ray Barrin, 17, in June 2017
- A judge dismissed the charges stating Brown acted in self-defense in July 2018
- Authorities said Barrin died during a feud between two transgender groups
- Barrin and her friends had been trying to engage Brown in a fight that day
- Brown shot Barrin while the two were struggling and had fallen down stairs
A Superior Court judge dismissed the indictment charging Jalen Breon Brown, 22, with murder in the shooting death of a transgender woman
A Georgia judge has dismissed murder charges against a transgender individual who fatally shot a transgender woman.
A Superior Court judge dismissed the indictment charging Jalen Breon Brown, 22, with murder in the shooting death of Ava Le’Ray Barrin, 17 — born Rayquann Deonte Jernigan — at an apartment complex in Athens, Georgia, in June 2017.
Authorities said Barrin was shot once in the chest and was not breathing when officers arrived at the scene. She was pronounced dead at the hospital.
Police said Barrin had died during a feud between two transgender groups.
Brown was charged with malice murder, felony murder and other offenses.
In March, Brown filed a motion saying that prosecution was unwarranted because the shooting was self-defense. An evidentiary hearing was then held in May and on July 24, the judge dismissed the charges by calling the shooting an act of self-defense, the Athens Banner-Herald reported.
On the day of the shooting, Brown had been visiting a friend at the Riverview Apartments in Athens. Brown and a friend were about to leave the apartment when Barrin showed up allegedly stating that she wanted to fight Brown, the judge noted in his order to vacate the charges.
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Ava Le’Ray Barrin, 17 (pictured) — born Rayquann Deonte Jernigan — was fatally shot at an apartment complex in Athens, Georgia, in June 2017 during a fight with Brown
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A Georgia judge said that Brown shot Barrin (pictured) in self-defense after attempts at deescalating the fight failed
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The incident occurred when Barrin and Brown were struggling on the stairs in the Riverview Apartments in Athens, Georgia
Barrin and Barrin's friends, who were surrounding Brown's car at the apartment complex, tirf to taunt Brown into fighting.
Brown then borrowed a handgun from the friend and brandished it at Barrin while refusing to get into a fight and telling Barrin and her friends to leave.
When Barrin and her friends refused the leave, Brown then fired a warning shot into the air, which did not have any effect.
The shooting occurred while Brown was walking down to the parking lot — gun and keys in hand — and encountered Barrin on the stairs.
The judge wrote that Barrin and Brown then struggled, with Barrin putting Brown into a headlock and trying to take the gun away from Brown.
Barrin was shot while the two lost their balance and fell several steps down to the ground.
Based on this description of events, the judge decided that Brown's actions were self-defense because Barrin 'reasonably believed that his own great bodily harm was imminent' at the time of the shooting.
In particular, the judge noted, Barrin had shown no fear when Brown initially brandished the gun and fired the warning shot. Additionally, Brown had made several attempts at deescalating the brewing fight.
The judge noted that Barrin and Brown had been 'on bad terms' since Brown posted a Facebook video mentioning Barrin six months prior to the shooting.
Reports at the time of the incident stated Barrin and Brown were men. However, Vibe noted that they both identified as women.
At the time of her death, Barrin was said to be the youngest trans woman of color to have been killed in the United States in 2017.
Murder charges in killing of transgender teen Ava Le’Ray Barrin dropped | Daily Mail Online
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Trans people are already marginalized and yall targeting each other 
