Suspect arrested in shooting death of cab driver in DeKalb
A suspect has been arrested in the shooting death of a taxi driver at a DeKalb County apartment complex.
Dedrick Darcelin was shot and killed early Friday at the Oak Creek Apartments in the 200 block of Northern Avenue, in the Avondale Estates area.
Pharoh Swindle, 19, was arrested around 7 p.m. Friday at an apartment complex near Memorial Drive, DeKalb police spokeswoman Mekka Parish said Saturday.
He was charged with one count of murder.
“According to detectives, the victim was dispatched during the early morning hours Friday to the Auburn Avenue area in Atlanta to pick up Swindle,” Parish said. She said that at some point after arriving at the Oak Creek complex, Swindle allegedly shot and killed the driver and fled.
Parish told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that officers responding to a 2:30 a.m. call Friday about shots being fired found the victim unresponsive, slumped over the steering wheel of his minivan.
“It was later determined the driver suffered from a fatal gunshot injury,” Parish said. “He was pronounced dead at the scene.”
Parish said the victim was a driver for Checker Cab, who identified him as Darcelin.
“Dedrick Darcelin has been associated with our company for about six years and was a very good cab driver, a genuine nice guy,” Atlanta Checker Cab owner Rick Hewatt said in an emailed statement.
Parish said robbery was believed to be the motive for the shooting.
