Second arrest made in killing of Atlanta pastor’s brother

A second man surrendered Friday in the slaying of a prominent Atlanta minister’s brother, police said.

Geno Lewis, 19, turned himself into the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office and was then transported to the Atlanta Police Department, where he was charged with murder and armed robbery, APD Sgt. Grey Lyon said. Lewis was then transported to the Fulton County Jail.

The arrest is the second in the May 7 death of Jerrick Jackson, and additional arrests are expected, Lyon said. Also Friday, the first man charged waived his first court appearance and won’t get bond, Fulton Jail officials said.

Alejandro “Big Poppa” Pitts, 18, was arrested Thursday by Atlanta police and U.S. marshals on charges of murder and armed robbery. Jackson was shot to death during an early-morning armed robbery attempt, authorities said.

Bishop Wiley Jackson, the pastor of Gospel Tabernacle Cathedral and Jerrick Jackson’s older brother, issued an email statement Friday while traveling, praising police for the arrest.

“I’m happy that a suspect has been apprehended for the senseless murder of my baby brother,” Wiley Jackson said. “I would like to thank the Atlanta Police Department for their tireless efforts to bring those involved to justice.”

Jerrick Jackson and his fiancee were returning home around 1 a.m. when they encountered a group of men who forced the couple into the house at gunpoint, police said.

Authorities believe Pitts, 18, and Lewis were two of the men involved in the robbery and shooting.

“We are aware of the identities of the other subjects, and we will find and arrest them in the very near future,” said Gavin Duffy, a supervisory inspector with the U.S. Marshals Service.

Pitts is due back in Fulton County court Aug. 16. Lewis is expected to make his first court appearance Saturday morning.