3 arrested in 16-year-old’s death near Clayton neighborhood clubhouse
Three teenagers were arrested in connection with the recent shooting death of another teen near a clubhouse in a Clayton County neighborhood, officials announced Tuesday.
Ikenna Ugochukwu, Jaquaris Mann and Antarius Sutton were arrested Friday, and are all facing murder charges. They remained in the Clayton County Jail late Tuesday without bond, online records showed. They are 18 years old.
The teens are accused in the death of 16-year-old Zion Barrett, who was found shot Sept. 6 near the intersection of Paladin Drive and Trafalgar Way near Hampton, police said.
During the initial hours of the investigation, police interviewed Ugochukwu and one of his family members but noted in an incident report “the individuals did not raise any suspicion” and were not believed to be involved.
“The Clayton County Police Department extends its condolences to the family of the victim and remains committed to pursuing justice on their behalf,” the department said in a news release.
According to officials, police responded to the scene after a witness called 911 once the gunfire had stopped.
An officer met with that teenage witness, who said he was with Barrett and another friend at the nearby intersection of Starling Trail and Paladin Drive when they saw about five lasers shining from the side of a residence, followed by gunfire.
The group ran toward the neighborhood clubhouse and saw Barrett collapse in nearby bushes, the report detailed. He later died at the hospital.
The witness told police they were in the area because Sutton had driven them there after a party was shut down in Henry County, saying “it was on the way home,” according to the report.
The witness also told the officer he believed Ugochukwu was the suspected shooter, stating “it was because (Ugochukwu) does not get along with” the witness and his friends, according to the report. He said Ugochukwu was under the impression that the witness “snitched on him about a previous incident,” the report said.
Ugochukwu told police during an interview he heard several gunshots from in front of his residence, saw three men he did not recognize running toward the clubhouse and observed a black coupe driving away, according to the report. He and his family member told police they didn’t shoot any weapons.
Police wrote in the report they believe Barrett may have been “caught in the crossfire.”
Mann is the only suspect facing a single charge of murder. Sutton faces an additional charge of aggravated assault, while Ugochukwu is charged with two counts of murder, four counts of aggravated assault and one count of possession of a weapon during the commission of a felony, jail records revealed.
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