Two people linked to the fatal shooting of a man at a DeKalb County apartment complex last week have been arrested on charges of murder, police announced Monday.
Darius Arnold, 38, died Thursday after being shot multiple times at the Oak Forest Apartments on Hatton Drive, according to DeKalb police. Officers discovered the victim lying in a grassy area behind a building after responding to the complex shortly after 2:30 a.m.
He was pronounced dead at the scene.
On 8/11 DKPD responded to Hatton Drive in reference to a person shot. Upon arrival, officers located 38-year-old Darius Arnold deceased. That same day, one suspect was taken into custody. Continued investigation led to the ID and arrest of a second suspect on 8/13. #WeAreDKPD pic.twitter.com/0qlHu1UJID
— DeKalb County Police Department (@DeKalbCountyPD) August 15, 2022
The two suspects were later identified by police as 27-year-old Zaria Jones of Scottdale and 21-year-old Jaquez Laquan McDonald of Stone Mountain.
During their initial investigation, police officials said it was not clear how Arnold was linked to the Scottdale apartment complex, and no updates have been provided since regarding the circumstances of his death.
By the end of the day Thursday, Jones had been arrested, police confirmed. Following her arrest, the investigation led police to identify McDonald as the second suspect. He was arrested Saturday.
With the two arrests, “all suspects are now in custody,” according to police.
Online court records show that Jones and the victim were known to each other. In 2021, Jones filed a request for a temporary protective order against Arnold but it was dismissed, police confirmed. It is not clear if McDonald knew Arnold prior to the shooting.
No further information has been released about the circumstances around Arnold’s death.
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