DeKalb County police have charged a 24-year-old man with murder after an alleged attempt to steal an ATV turned violent.
Juwan Sanchez Ridley and Stephon Morton, also 24, were trying to steal an ATV from a person in the Candler Road/I-20 area on Aug. 4 when Morton was shot, according to warrants released this week.
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Ridley told police the ATV rider shot Morton, but the detective noted it wasn’t clear if the gunshot came from the ATV rider or if Ridley accidentally shot his partner.
Despite the confusion, Ridley is charged with felony murder, which only requires that a defendant commits a felony — such as armed robbery — that causes a death.
The ATV rider apparently left the scene.
A GoFundMe fundraiser seems to dispute the idea that Morton was involved in a robbery. It says he died an "innocent victim to gun violence that erupted at what was supposed to be a fun-filled community day."
Further information wasn’t immediately available.
Efforts to reach his family for comment weren’t successful Wednesday.
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