Trial Begins in 2020 Shooting Death of 7-Year-Old Kennedy Maxie

A robbery that took place outside of Phipps Plaza left a man enraged, prosecutors say, and as a result, gunfire erupted that ended with a young girl who had been out Christmas shopping with her family fatally shot.

On December 21, 2020, Kennedy Maxie, 7, was struck by a bullet while riding in the backseat of her aunt’s car. She died the day after Christmas.

Daquan Reed faces charges of felony murder, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, criminal property damage, possession of a firearm during a crime, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. His trial started Friday.

“In a rage over being robbed of his cellphone and money, the defendant, Daquan Reed, a convicted felon, picked up his Glock 9 mm pistol and fired it from the rear passenger seat of a black Acura,” prosecutor Pat Dutcher said in his opening statement.

Prosecutors had multiple witnesses get on the stand where they detailed the sequence of events; Reed was robbed outside the Saks Fifth Avenue store at Phipps before the shooting.

Jurors then heard from Kennedy’s mother, Mariah Maxie, and aunt Jade Maxie, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.

“I was like fussing with Kennedy because she didn’t even want to go shopping,” Mariah Maxie said. “She wanted to go to her dad’s house.”

Kennedy was riding in the car with her aunt and mother when they stopped at a red light, which is when shots rang out. Mariah Maxie soon noticed her daughter was not responding.

Jade Maxie immediately drove to the hospital, where Kennedy Maxie died five days later.

“I will never forget (that day),” Jade Maxie said. The three of them had gone shopping on the first day of Kennedy’s winter break from school. The girl lived in Cobb County and was attending Sedalia Park Elementary School.

After the shooting, Reed got rid of the gun and told people not to talk to the police before he left the area. He was taken into custody by the U.S. Marshals Service in Virginia and then extradited to Georgia a month later.

Reed’s attorney Nicole Fegan argued that there was no physical evidence against him that would prove any guilt. She described Kennedy’s death as “terrible” but stated her client was innocent.

“I’m confident that you’ll come back with a verdict that speaks the truth on behalf of Daquan Reed and that is that he is innocent,” she said. “He is not guilty of each and every count charged.”