A man was arrested Thursday, less than 24 hours after a deadly shooting in downtown Alpharetta, police said.
Jaden Lewis, 21, of Milton, is facing charges of murder and aggravated assault in the death of Justin Mourning, according to authorities.
Alpharetta police got a call about shots fired near the intersection of Milton Road and South Main Street, or Ga. 9, just after 11 p.m. Wednesday. There, they found Mourning, 46, with gunshot wounds. He was rushed to a hospital but died Thursday morning, police said.
Investigators believe the incident began with an argument between the victim and suspect, who did not know each other, officials said.
“They got into an argument that evening over the motorcycle operator driving in the downtown area,” Alpharetta police Capt. Andrew Splawn told Channel 2 Action News.
Officials earlier released a picture of a person of interest riding a black sports-style motorcycle and wearing a black jacket with patches on the left sleeve and left breast. Police later confirmed that person is the alleged shooter.
Mourning was a family man who you could often find playing cornhole, walking the Big Creek Greenway or exploring Alpharetta with his wife of 17 years, Tiffany, according to a GoFundMe organized by Vanessa Edmonds, a spokesperson for the victim’s family. He also leaves behind his daughter, Tenlie, who graduated from Columbia University, and his son, Haden, who’s a junior at Georgia Southern University.
Originally from Colorado, the lifelong Denver Broncos fan relocated to Alpharetta in 2015 while working for Lumen Technologies, an American telecommunications company, where he was an employee for nearly 20 years, the fundraising page stated. Mourning was also a member of North Point Community Church in Alpharetta.
“We deeply mourn the tragic loss of a member of the Lumen family. We are doing what we can to comfort his family and those who worked with him,” Lumen Technologies said in a statement to Channel 2 Action News.
The heartbroken family was thankful for the first responders and doctors who “worked to save his life,” according to the page, which had raised more than $30,000 as of Tuesday afternoon. The family requested privacy during the police investigation, Edmonds added, but appreciated that an arrest had been “swiftly” made.
Anyone with information is asked to call Alpharetta police Detective C. Lawrence at 678-297-6338 or clawrence@alpharetta.ga.us.
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