A man accused of shooting and killing a Mercer University basketball player pleaded not guilty in court Wednesday, according to The Macon Telegraph.

Damion Deray Henderson, 34, pleaded not guilty Wednesday morning in the Feb. 2 shooting death of Jibri Bryan at a downtown Macon convenience store.

Bryan, a 23-year-old graduate student from Savannah, was one of two people shot at a Flash Foods on Forsyth Street, police said. The store clerk heard gunshots at about 4 p.m., went outside and saw a man, who was later identified as Bryan, slumped over inside a white Chevrolet Monte Carlo parked next to the store.

Henderson was arrested in early February in a Decatur apartment complex, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution previously reported.

Jarvis Clinton Miller was also arrested and charged with felony murder in connection with the shooting.

Mercer University head men’s basketball coach Bob Hoffman said Bryan “was a special young man who was a great contributor to our team and did everything that was asked of him.”

Bryan, a guard, 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.

Henderson’s attorney, Frank Hogue, told the newspaper the Bibb Superior Court trial could begin as early as Sept. 19.

Read more at The Macon Telegraph.

About the Author

Keep Reading

Juana Alzaga (standing) instructs members of the Buford Highway Orchestra Project at the Latin American Association in Brookhaven on Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025. The orchestra, which is comprised mostly of children of parents who lack legal status, will be featured in the documentary “La Orquesta” coming this month to PBS. (Hyosub Shin/AJC)

Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC

Featured

Carleigh Knight (left) and her sister, Natalie Rogovin, look at Christmas ornaments while shopping at Kudzu Antiques + Modern in Decatur on Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2025. (Natrice Miller/AJC)

Credit: Natrice Miller