Older teen is among six indicted in July mall shootout; younger teen charged in December killing of visiting 17-year-old.
BLOOMINGDALE, Ga. — A 16-year-old and a 17-year-old brothers — both named Franklin Leonard James Jr. — are charged in separate killings tied to two of Chatham County’s most closely watched cases of 2025, according to state and local authorities.
The older teen, arrested in July and later indicted with five others, is accused in the Oglethorpe Mall shootout that prosecutors say contributed to the death of Olislene “Tina” Smith, 69. The younger teen was arrested this month in the fatal shooting of Antonio “TJ” Thornton Jr., 17, outside a Bloomingdale-area apartment complex. The brothers have different mothers but share the same father, who is jailed on separate charges dating to the summer. As the calendar turns, both cases are set for key hearings in February, with more filings expected as prosecutors press gang and weapons counts in the mall case and felony murder in the Bloomingdale slaying.
Police say the mall gunfire erupted July 2 inside a store as rival groups exchanged shots during the dinner hour. Three people were struck by bullets; three others were hospitalized for medical emergencies as crowds poured toward exits and employees locked down back rooms. Smith, a churchgoing grandmother, collapsed while fleeing and died around midnight July 3, according to officials. On July 31, the 17-year-old brother turned himself in. Months later, a judge denied him bond, keeping him in the Chatham County jail alongside co-defendants as a 71-count indictment broadened the case beyond simple firearms charges.
Thornton’s shooting unfolded Dec. 14 in Bloomingdale as he visited family from metro Atlanta. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation says he was shot during a robbery attempt; agents have charged the 16-year-old brother with felony murder, aggravated assault and armed robbery. On Dec. 29, the GBI announced a second arrest: 17-year-old Terrance Devon Green of Pooler, booked into the county detention center on the same counts. The younger James is held in a juvenile facility; authorities have not released his photo because of his age. The agency says the case remains active, with more interviews and lab analysis underway.
Their father, 46-year-old Franklin Leonard James Sr., remains behind bars. Court records show he served about 11 years in state prison after a 2011 police chase ended in a crash that killed a newborn delivered by emergency C-section. Released in May 2024, he was arrested again in 2024 and 2025 on a run of new allegations, including fleeing, possession of a stolen gun and a June drug-trafficking case in which police say he damaged property at a family member’s home. A February hearing is scheduled in that matter. Jail logs list him as affiliated with the Cuyler/Brownsville gang.
In the mall case, defense attorneys have argued in court that the episode involved a robbery gone wrong and have pushed back on alleged gang ties. Five of the six co-defendants pleaded not guilty Nov. 24; a sixth entered a not-guilty plea Dec. 2. Prosecutors added felony murder after Smith’s death was linked to the panic of the shooting, and they have pointed to surveillance images, ballistic evidence and social media posts as part of discovery. The teen turned himself in weeks after the shooting and has remained jailed without bond as attorneys prepare for motions in early 2026.
In Bloomingdale, the GBI has not disclosed the specific weapon, how many rounds were fired or which suspect allegedly pulled the trigger. Investigators have confirmed that Thornton was a high school senior who planned to study engineering after graduation. Family and friends gathered in Gwinnett County to mark the milestone he did not reach, placing his cap-and-gown photo atop a cake while relatives spoke about his plans and the trip to Savannah that ended in gunfire. The agency continues to ask witnesses to come forward as it tracks the routes of any firearms recovered and the timeline before shots were fired.
Legal calendars suggest different speeds ahead. The mall case, with its grand jury indictment already in place, is positioned for motion hearings in February and potential trial settings later in 2026, depending on discovery disputes. The Bloomingdale case appears earlier in the process: investigators are likely to seek grand jury charges in the coming months once lab results and phone records return. Meanwhile, James Sr. has a February appearance on his summer narcotics case, ensuring all three matters will touch a courthouse within weeks of each other.
At Oglethorpe Mall, holiday shoppers this month still point to the spot where police tape stretched across the corridor on July 2. Some clerks describe huddling customers in stockrooms until SWAT officers cleared the building. In Bloomingdale, neighbors speak about lights flashing outside the apartments on the night Thornton was shot, and about patrols that lingered into the morning. “It’s been heavy,” one resident said, recalling how families now keep porch lights on longer.
As of Wednesday, both teens remain in custody; the older is in the Chatham County jail and the younger at a youth detention center. The next date on the court calendar is a February setting in the mall case; GBI updates in the Bloomingdale investigation will be posted as lab reports and interviews are completed.
Author note: Last updated December 31, 2025.