Teen Helped Murder Football Teammate, Then Played Championship Game in His Honor: Police

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A second teen has been arrested in connection to the shooting death of high school football player Brandon Smith, whose body was found one day before his team was set to play for the state championship in Georgia.

There were heavy hearts in one Georgia community on Monday, December 11, 2023, despite their hometown high school football team gearing up for the state championship. The game fell just one day after the body of one of the team's star players was found murdered.

Now, one-and-a-half years later, a second teen has been arrested and charged with his murder, this one a teammate who played in the slain teen's honor just days after he helped to kill him, according to authorities.

In an updated press release on May 1, 2025 from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, they announced the arrest of Manchester High School student Qua'vion Jakwon Cooper, 17, with the assistance of the Meriwether County Sheriff's Office, "as a party to the crime for his role in the shooting death of Manchester High School student Brandon Smith, age 17" (pictured above).

The release states that through the course of the ongoing investigation, "it was determined that Cooper aided and abetted A’darious Williams, who shot and killed Smith on December 7, 2023, following an argument in Manchester, Georgia." Cooper has been booked in Meriwether County Jail and denied bond.

Williams was initially arrested and charged at age 19 back on January 9, 2024, for allegedly shooting and killing Smith on December 7, 2023. He is currently facing a murder charge, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Details of Cooper's involvement in Smith's murder are not clear as the Meriwether County Magistrate Court and sheriff's office declined to provide the Journal-Constitution a copy of his arrest warrant.

According to the GBI report, Smith was last seen on that day. On December 10, 2023, the Manchester Police Department received a report of a dead body in a wooded area behind a home. That body was determined to be Smith, with evidence that he had been killed.

The victim's grandmother, Maxine Smith, who'd raised her grandson since he was an infant, told The New York Post at the time that she sensed something was going on with him. "The way he looked at me, like he wanted to tell me something he couldn’t," she said at the time.

She reported him missing on December 9 when she could not reach him after repeated attempts. The next day, his football coach told her that her grandson's body had been found, per WXIA.

The discovery came on the eve of what would have been the biggest football game in Smith's high school career, as the team had made it to the state title championship game. His teammates, including Cooper, would go on to play that game in his honor, according to ABC affiliate WXIA at the time.

According to the outlet, team captains solemnly held Smith's jersey, walking it to the 50-yard line as a powerful symbol of remembrance. Cooper would go on to score a touchdown and lead his team in tackles and rushing yards, according to Georgia Public Broadcast, which covered the game.

Manchester High School ultimately lost by one point, falling 28-27 as Bowdon picked up its second consecutive Class A Division II state championship.

In a statement to WSB-TV on Monday, the Meriwether County School District said, "We are aware of the two arrests in connection with the tragic death of Brandon Smith in 2023. This is a deeply difficult moment for many in our community, and our hearts remain with Brandon’s family, friends, and teammates as they continue to grieve this loss."

"He never gave us problems," Smith's grandfather told WTVM. "He's always been good, ever since he was a lil' bitty infant ... And I just hate somebody shortened his dreams like that."