Temple teen, boyfriend die in fiery crash after kidnapping
CAROLL COUNTY, Ga. - According to the Chief Deputy of Carroll County, 16 year old Raina Reed had just moved in with the young man who ultimately took her from her family's home at gunpoint before causing a deadly crash.
Raina Reed's father shared one of the last photos taken of his daughter. He told Fox 5's Portia Bruner the photo was taken Thanksgiving day--just a few hours before the joy of the holiday suddenly turned violent and ended with her horrific death on Rainey Road in Villa Rica.
"This was a tragedy all the way around," said Chief Deputy Brad Robinson.
Robinson told reporters the Temple teenager was kidnapped at gunpoint from her family's home Thanksgiving night around 8 p.m. He said her boyfriend, 20 year old Elijah Cox, was angry because the family had taken Raina from the home she just moved into with Cox less than two weeks ago.
"He came to her residence with a rifle at took her at gunpoint. People were running and hiding in bathrooms. It was a scary situation. He fired shots at the family and they called 911," Robinson said.
The Chief Deputy said Cox forced Reed into his Volvo, then sped away on Rainey Road crashing into a tree not far from Reed's family home. A deputy responding to the 911 call actually passed Cox seconds before the fatal. Friends, Josh Talley and Alajuwon Thomas, were on their way home from Thanksgiving dinner when they happened to see the crash scene. They told Bruner they tried to rush to help, but said the deputy told them to stop for their own safety.
"He told us to stay back because the guy was armed with a gun. But once the fire started to get big, we went in there because you could hear the girl screaming. I couldn't even sleep last night thinking about the sound of her screaming. No one should die like that," Thomas, 24, said.
Thomas is still frustrated the two couldn't do more to help.
"We had time to get them out--about two minutes. It bothers me because two people ended up dying right in front of us. But we had to listen to the officer because we didn't know if the guy was going to start shooting or what," Talley said.
"The deputy was in a bad situation with an armed suspect inside a vehicle and the vehicle was actually on fire. At some point, he did make his way around and used his baton by trying to break the windows out of the vehicle," Robinson told reporters.
According to Raina's father, the Temple High School student was a beloved member of the marching band. He told Bruner she also played in the band in Haralson County and said she will be missed by her family and the countless friends she had across West Georgia.