A man wanted in the deadly shootings of three homeless people in Atlanta was arrested Friday in a Gwinnett County shopping center, police said.
David Chris Arnold Lee, 29, was taken into custody after officers spotted him walking through a parking lot on Holcomb Bridge Road, according to police.
He is accused in the shooting deaths of Timothy Smith, Curtis Cockrell and Maxine McDonald earlier this month. All three were homeless and were killed within a two-week span.
RELATED: 3 homeless people found fatally shot in Atlanta within 2 weeks, police say
Smith, 45, was the first victim. His body was found June 1 under a bridge on Piedmont Avenue where he was known to sleep, according to police.
MORE: Man's shooting death ruled homicide in Old Fourth Ward
On June 12, Cockrell became the second victim. He was found shot to death under the I-20 overpass at Windsor Street. Before the announcement of Lee's arrest Friday, Cockrell had not been identified by authorities.
The third shooting came earlier this week. A woman, identified Friday as McDonald, was located Monday morning at the intersection of Pryor and Rawson streets. She had been shot multiple times with a handgun, police said at the scene.
Credit: JOHN SPINK / JSPINK@AJC.COM
Credit: JOHN SPINK / JSPINK@AJC.COM
Isidro Rivera, who was working with a crew across the street at the time, said he heard five to 10 gunshots inside a tent at a homeless camp. He saw a man leave the tent, tuck a gun into his backpack and walk away, Rivera told AJC.com.
Rivera discovered McDonald’s body minutes later, he said.
Investigators previously released photos of a man believed to be responsible for the deaths. He was seen near all three crime scenes about the time the victims were killed, authorities said Wednesday.
Credit: Atlanta Police Department
Credit: Atlanta Police Department
The motive behind the killings was unknown.
MORE: Police release photos of man suspected of killing 3 homeless people in 2 weeks
It was not known if Lee was identified from the photos.
In a statement, Gwinnett police said investigators received information that Lee was in the area of Holcomb Bridge Road and Peachtree Parkway. He was taken into custody after officers searched the area and spotted him walking through an Office Depot parking lot, Gwinnett police spokesman Cpl. Collin Flynn said.
Lee was being held Friday in the Fulton County Jail on three counts of murder and three counts of possession of a weapon during the commission of a crime. He was expected to appear before a judge for a bond hearing Saturday at noon, according to a Fulton County sheriff’s official.
— Please return to AJC.com for updates.
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