Georgia man charged with murder had knife in his jail cell, officials say
A man accused of shooting and killing a 74-year-old after an argument was found hiding a knife in his jail cell, authorities said.
Wallace Junior Chambers, 46, faces new charges after the pocket knife was found hidden in the toe of his shoe, said Floyd County sheriff’s spokesman Cpl. Anthony Cromer. The knife was found during a “routine shakedown of the cell block he was being housed in,” Cromer said.
Chambers has been in the county jail since he turned himself in June 4 in connection with the shooting death of Johnny Lewis Price, AJC.com previously reported.
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Price was found with several gunshot wounds in the 500 block of Hardy Avenue about 6 p.m. May 30, Rome police previously said. He was lying on the ground near a gold truck; he died after being taken to a nearby hospital.
Investigators said Price got into an argument with Chambers shortly before the shooting. Witnesses said Chambers retrieved a gun and shot Price multiple times before leaving the scene, police said.
The men were neighbors in a south Rome neighborhood, according to police. It remains unclear what they were arguing about, but police described it as a “silly argument that turned deadly and that’s a shame.”
Chambers faces felony murder and aggravated assault charges.
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About the Author
Asia Simone Burns is a watchdog reporter for the AJC. Burns was formerly an intern in AJC’s newsroom and now writes about crime. She is a graduate of Samford University and has previously reported for NPR and WABE, Atlanta’s NPR member station.
