John Jefferson
Left to right: Beatriz Vega and Roberto de Leon (GoFundMe)
Law enforcement authorities in Georgia responding to an iPhone crash alert arrived at the location to find a lone vehicle that appeared unmarred — except for the fact that two teenage passengers in the car had been fatally shot.
The two victims have been identified as Beatriz Vega, 17, and Roberto de Leon, 19, authorities announced on Thursday.
According to a news release from the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, deputies in the early morning hours of Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024, responded to an automated iPhone Crash Detection alert notifying the 911 call center of an accident in the 3200 block of West Stewart Mill Road.
Upon arriving at the scene, first responders said they found a vehicle stopped in the middle of the road, but “no evidence of a collision.” However, deputies immediately located Vega and Delon in the driver and front passenger seats. Both had been “critically injured from apparent gunshot wounds,” per the release.
Medical personnel at the scene transported the victims to a local hospital where they succumbed to their injuries and were pronounced dead.
Investigators have been tight-lipped regarding additional details, but said they are currently tracking leads into the shooting and evaluating evidence to “better understand what occurred before and at the event of gunplay.”
The iPhone’s Crash Detection system is designed to “detect severe car crashes — such as front-impact, side-impact, and rear-end collisions, and rollovers — involving sedans, minivans, SUVs, pickup trucks, and other passenger cars,” according to Apple’s website. After the phone detects a possible severe crash, an alert displays on the screen allowing the user to call emergency services or dismiss the alert. If the user does not dismiss the alert in 20 seconds, the device will automatically contact emergency services.
The Cobb County School District confirmed to Atlanta NBC affiliate WXIA that Vega was a senior at Pebblebrook High School and released the following statement:
“We are deeply saddened by the tragic loss of a Pebblebrook student and extend our heartfelt condolences to the family, friends, and school community. Counselors and support staff are available to assist students and staff during this difficult time, and we appreciate the media’s understanding in respecting the privacy of those grieving.”
Authorities are asking anyone with information relevant to the shooting to contact Douglas County Sheriff’s Investigator Michael Aziz at 770-920-3923 or via email at [email protected].
GoFundMe pages to help pay for the late teens’ memorial services can be found here for De Leon and here for Vega.
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