A college baseball star was shot and killed near an Atlanta campus on Tuesday and police now have someone in custody.
Jatonne Sterling, 20,was fatally shotwhile sitting in a car parked at the Lyke House Catholic Center. He and another person in the car had a disagreement inside the car before shots were fired, said Atlanta Police Department Deputy Chief Charles Hampton, Jr. in a news briefing via Facebook Thursday.
Police at Clark Atlanta University had called the APD after the incident and once APD arrived, they discovered Jatonne, a sophomore who played baseball for the university, dead, said Hampton.
The alleged shooter, Keontay Holliman-Peoples, 25, is in custody and facing charges related to the killing including a felony murder charge and aggravated assault. He is currently “recovering from his injuries,” the police chief added. It was not immediately clear if Holliman-Peoples has engaged legal representation who can comment on his behalf.
He emphasized that it “was not a random homicide. I know the students are alarmed, but anytime we have any homicide like this we always try to let the community know we’re on top of it. Unfortunately, Jatonne knew this individual. There was some correspondence and so this was not just a random event… Students should feel safe.”
Police are currently looking for a third individual who they say was in the car. Information is slim and the only detail Hampton shared is that he is a male. Anyone with knowledge of who he is is urged to call Crime Stoppers.
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Jatonne’s longtime baseball coach, Earnest Radcliff,remembered the star athleteonce approached him when he was just 12 and declared, “Coach, I will be your next best player,” Radcliff told 11 Alive.
Radcliff, who also served as Jatonne’s coach when he was at Morgan Park High School in Chicago, said that Jatonne was an honors student.
“A great community person at Morgan Park High School. He was outstanding, treated the elderly and women with much respect,” he said to the outlet.
Radcliff had just spoken to Jatonne a week before his death where Jatonne shared his hopes to be a rapper.
After being told of the incident, Radcliff emotionally said, “please don’t tell me it’s true.”
Holliman-Peoples is not a student and has a criminal history for two separate states, said Hampton.
Father Urey Patrick Markcalled for a prayer serviceon Wednesday afternoon, according to Fox 5 in Atlanta.
“Jatonne is not a Catholic, but he is a student and a child of God, and so, with this tragic situation we are just saddening. We are hurt,” Father Urey Patrick Mark said.
His mother also immediately flew down from Chicago to Atlanta after Jatonne’s death, reported Fox 5.
source: people.com
