Staff Reports

The Gwinnett County Police Department announced Wednesday morning that the man wanted in connection with the murder of a Buford teen was arrested. The Marshals Task Force in Green Bay, Wisconsin caught up to Savion Dillard, 20 of Jonesboro, Ga. on Tuesday, July 16.

Dillard is believed to be the person who shot and killed 15-year-old Branden Gerena behind a convenience store located on Thompson Mill Road at Pebblebrook Drive in Buford on July 1. Gerena was a rising sophomore at Buford High School.

Gerena and another juvenile were behind the convenience store when a security camera showed that a black male in his 20’s walked up to them and shot Gerena in the head. The suspect fled the scene while Gerena was transported to a local hospital. He was later pronounced dead at the hospital.

Authorities say that the suspect left the scene in a car driven by Denzel Wilburn, 21 of Buford. Wilburn was arrested on July 3 and was charged with armed robbery and conspiracy to commit a misdemeanor.

Dillard does not face any charges in Wisconsin so authorities say he will be extradited back to Georgia in the near future to face charges of felony murder, armed robbery, aggravated assault, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony in connection with the July 1 murder of Gerena.