A 23-year-old Covington man is facing a murder charge in connection with the Aug. 27 shooting death of his alleged accomplice, police said Thursday.

Martin Clive Leahing and his accomplice, 20-year-old Cedric Spears, were committing an armed robbery with a handgun on Snapfinger Woods Drive in Decatur, DeKalb County sheriff’s spokeswoman Cynthia Williams said.

When the man who was being robbed fired a weapon in self-defense, he killed Spears.

“The shooter will not be charged because he was the victim of an armed robbery. It is being classified as a justifiable homicide,” Lt. Lonzy Robertson previously told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Leahing is charged with murder because his alleged participation in a crime led to the death of his accomplice, Williams said.

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The Juneteenth Atlanta Parade and Music Festival takes place Saturday beginning at The King Center and ending at Piedmont Park. Due to sponsorship difficulties, the event was shortened from three days to two this year. (Jenni Girtman for the AJC)

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