An Atlanta man is accused of assaulting his family Friday just hours after fatally shooting a 57-year-old stranger in broad daylight in Clayton County, authorities said.
Clayton police secured a murder warrant Tuesday for 21-year-old Devante Watson, who was identified in connection with the shooting in College Park that left Eric Crane dead. No motive was provided for the shooting, and police said the suspect and victim didn’t know each other.
Clayton police responded to a person shot call around 1:30 p.m. Friday at Riverdale Road and Norman Drive. There was a large police presence at the scene and caution tape was seen draped across the road.
Credit: Channel 2 Action News
Credit: Channel 2 Action News
When officers arrived, they found Crane in the middle of the southbound lanes with several gunshot wounds. The victim was taken to a hospital, where he died from his injuries, police said.
Witnesses told investigators that a man was seen shooting Crane several times before running to a vehicle and leaving. The investigation eventually pointed to Watson, authorities said, and warrants were secured for malice murder and possession of a weapon during the commission of a crime.
On Friday evening, about eight hours after the fatal shooting, Watson is accused of going to the apartment where his brother and sister-in-law lived, about five miles away in Union City, according to an arrest warrant. His sister-in-law told police that Watson entered her bedroom and pointed a gun at her head and face. The woman, who was on the phone with her husband at the time, began yelling at Watson to “just put the gun down” hoping he could hear her, the warrant stated.
Later that night, her husband entered the apartment and the siblings started to fight, police said. During the brawl, the gun was fired into the shower tiles near the tub, which also caused damage to the wall of a neighboring vacant apartment, according to the warrant.
Watson was arrested Saturday by Union City police and booked into the Fulton County jail on the following charges: aggravated assault, false imprisonment, aggravated sodomy and possession of a firearm or knife during the commission of or attempt to commit certain felonies.
Police said Watson will eventually be transferred to the Clayton County jail to face the murder charge.
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