A 15-year-old was arrested and a 17-year-old remains at large Monday after Conyers police took out charges against them related to a man found dead in a pickup truck parked at a motel.
The discovery was made at about 6:20 a.m. Sunday by officers checking on a report of a suspicious vehicle at the Intown Suites on Northlake Drive off Ga. 138. When they looked inside a black pickup, they found 33-year-old Dontavius Hardeman dead “with gunshot wounds to his body,” according to police.
It was not clear if Hardeman was a guest at the motel.
By the end of the day, the investigation had been classified as a homicide, and police released photos of the two teenagers who were considered persons of interest.
“We don’t have motive,” police Sgt. Quantavis Garcia told Channel 2 Action News. “We do know that the persons of interest knew the victim before the shooting occurred, so we do want to get their side of the story before we make any assumptions about motive.”
Hours later, investigators arrested the 15-year-old, who was not publicly identified because he is a minor. He is being charged as an adult on counts of murder and theft by taking, Garcia told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The 17-year-old, identified as Quintavious Morgan, is wanted on a murder charge.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Conyers police at 770-929-4203. Tipsters can remain anonymous, and be eligible for rewards of up to $2,000, by contacting Crime Stoppers Atlanta at 404-577-8477, texting information to 274637 or visiting the Crime Stoppers website.
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