Teen football player shot and killed feet from home, GA cops say. ‘Tremendous teammate’

A high school football player was walking home from a friend’s house when he was shot and killed, according to Georgia police.

He was not the intended target, Angela Smith, assistant chief of the Brunswick Police Department, told McClatchy News.

Investigators are searching for 21-year-old Breon Hartley of Jacksonville, Florida, and have issued warrants for his arrest on charges of murder and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime, according to a news release from the Brunswick Police Department.

My’kal Ellis, 16, was found unresponsive in the road just feet from his house in Brunswick at around 9:20 p.m. on June 13, according to the release. Two people were lying next to him on the ground screaming when officers arrived, according to a police report.

He had been walking home from his friend’s house when he was shot multiple times, the release says. He died at the scene.

As of June 16, Hartley was still at large, the release says. Police asked anyone with knowledge of his whereabouts to contact Brunswick Police Detective Anthony Trollinger at 912-279-2640 or the Silent Witness tip line at 912-267-5516, according to the release.

Police warned the public not to approach him and said he should be considered armed and dangerous.

Ellis played football at Brunswick High School, according to family members and friends on social media.

“My’kal Ellis was a joy to coach, he was a tremendous teammate (and) he was a great friend,” Brunswick High School head coach Garrett Grady said in a statement shared by Glynn Academy Football on Facebook. “He was a guy that did everything right and had such a positive outlook on everything.”

Ellis’ grandmother Debra Davis wrote on Facebook that her grandson loved his parents, and he was “taken away so soon.”

Davis did not respond to a request for comment from McClatchy News.

Friends also commented on Ellis’ Instagram profile.

“Shine in heaven, bro, I love you for life,” wrote one user.

“Please just come back,” wrote another.

Brunswick is about 70 miles north of Jacksonville.

This story was originally published June 16, 2023 at 4:53 PM with the headline "Teen football player shot and killed feet from home, GA cops say. ‘Tremendous teammate’."