Two people were arrested after a 19-year-old was fatally shot at a Sandy Springs apartment complex over the weekend, authorities said Tuesday.
Sandy Springs police were called to the parking lot of the Waters Edge Apartments on Roberts Drive around 3:15 p.m. Saturday about a person shot. The complex is not far from the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area and Turner McDonald Parkway.
Officers arrived and found the victim, who was shot once in the chest and died at the scene, police wrote in a news release. He was identified as Aden Stone by the Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office.
According to arrest warrants obtained Wednesday, witnesses saw two women and a man get into a white Chevrolet Equinox that was seen leaving the complex and heading south. An officer later found a vehicle that matched that description and a felony traffic stop was conducted on the southbound entrance ramp to Ga. 400 from Northridge Road.
The three occupants were identified as driver Mackieda Tugba, 21, front-seat passenger Devontay Coleman, 27, and a 30-year-old woman, who was in the backseat. Both Coleman and Tugba admitted to having a gun in the vehicle, the warrant stated. Officers later found a Glock 19 pistol with a 30-round magazine but with only 13 live rounds, police said.
“Responding officers noted that there appeared to possibly be blood on the detained persons, particularly their hands,” an officer stated in the warrant. “Also, Devontay Coleman has what appears to be consistent with human blood on his shirt.”
They were all detained and taken to police headquarters, authorities said. The vehicle was impounded.
Credit: Fulton County Sheriff's Office
Credit: Fulton County Sheriff's Office
During the investigation, Tugba told detectives that she and Coleman had picked up the 30-year-old woman from Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. As Coleman was driving back, Tugba said she saw a black gun on his lap, according to police. Coleman said he needed to make a detour and drove to the Waters Edge Apartments, where she heard a gunshot, the warrant stated.
The other woman told police she had been asleep until that point. Amid the gunfire, all three exited the vehicle for a moment before getting back in and switching seats, which Tugba said was her idea, according to the warrant. They were pulled over a few minutes later, police said.
At police headquarters, Coleman originally provided a false name because of an outstanding warrant, which he later corrected, authorities said. He then placed himself at the scene and in the vehicle, the warrant stated, but told detectives the gun belonged to Stone.
Credit: Fulton County Sheriff's Office
Credit: Fulton County Sheriff's Office
According to the warrant, Coleman appeared to have blood on his T-shirt, pants and right hand. During a search of the vehicle, blood was also found on the driver’s door near the window, police said, along with a single 9mm shell casing. No weapons or casings were found at the shooting scene.
“Based on the facts obtained thus far, it is my belief that Mr. Coleman drove to the location to meet with someone for a yet to be determined reason,” the officer added in the warrant.
Coleman is accused of shooting Stone once in the chest, according to the warrant. Police said Tugba was allegedly part of the incident by switching places with Coleman and fleeing from the scene.
They were booked into the Fulton County Jail and are each facing a murder charge, according to online records. Coleman is also charged with aggravated assault, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony and giving a false name and date of birth to law enforcement.
Police did not believe there was enough evidence to charge the other woman, who was released from custody, according to the warrant.
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