One man has been charged in the Tuesday afternoon shooting death of a Mercer University basketball player, officials said Wednesday.
A second man remained on the lam.
Jibri Bryan, a 23-year-old Mercer graduate student and guard for the basketball team, was shot in the head around 4 p.m. Tuesday while sitting in a Chevrolet Monte Carlo outside a Flash Food on Macon’s Forsyth Street. He was dead when authorities arrived.
The Bibb County Sheriff’s Office confirmed Wednesday that Jarvis Clinton Miller had been charged with felony murder in connection with the shooting. Miller was also wounded in the incident, however, and remained hospitalized Wednesday in stable condition, authorities said.
“According to the warrant signed for Miller’s arrest, he shot Bryan, who was sitting in the Monte Carlo, causing his death,” the sheriff’s office said in an emailed statement. Miller fled the scene but was found a short distance away, wearing clothing that matched descriptions given by witnesses, officials said.
It was unclear who shot Miller. Authorities have made no mention of Bryan having a weapon or firing any shots.
An arrest warrant has also been issued for a second man believed involved in Bryan’s death, but his identity has not been released. Authorities described him only as the driver of the Nissan Sentra in which they believe Miller arrived at the gas station.
Bryan started each of the Bears’ 35 games last season, averaging just under eight points per game. His playing time had been limited this season by a knee injury.
In a statement issued Tuesday night, Mercer basketball coach called Bryan “a special young man who was a great contributor to our team and did everything that was asked of him.”
An on-campus vigil was planned for Wednesday night.
Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to call the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office at 478-751-7500 or Macon Regional Crime Stoppers at 1-877-68CRIME.
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