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2 teens accused of fatal Atlanta shooting surrender

Joshua Witherspoon, 19, and a 16-year-old were wanted in connection with the homicide of 21-year-old Javeon Billings on Oct. 2.

Credit: AJC File

Credit: AJC File

Joshua Witherspoon, 19, and a 16-year-old were wanted in connection with the homicide of 21-year-old Javeon Billings on Oct. 2.
By Tanni Deb
Oct 23, 2020

Two teenagers accused of shooting and killing a man in Atlanta earlier this month turned themselves in to police Thursday, authorities said.

Joshua Witherspoon, 19, and a 16-year-old were wanted in connection with the homicide of 21-year-old Javeon Billings on Oct. 2.

Police said they responded to a call about a person shot in the 3600 block of Martin Luther King Jr. Drive around 6:40 p.m. Upon arrival, they found out that Billings was taken to a hospital, where he died from a gunshot wound to the head.

The incident occurred just days after a man was accused of randomly stabbing three people on MLK Jr. Drive on Sept. 28, authorities said.

Explore3 stabbed, 1 shot in separate incidents in SW Atlanta

Homicide investigators secured arrest warrants for Witherspoon and the second teen on Monday. They were booked into the Fulton County jail and metro youth detention center, respectively.

They will be charged with felony murder, armed robbery and aggravated assault, police spokesman Sgt. John Chafee said in a news release.

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About the Author

Tanni Deb, a Michigan native, is a content producer for the AJC, primarily covering breaking news, crime and public safety. After graduating from Northwestern University, she worked as a TV reporter before producing long-form feature videos on business trends across Africa.

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