Two additional suspects have been charged with murder for their alleged roles in the November shooting death of a Lyft driver, the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office said Friday.
That brings the total to three arrests in the shooting that killed 31-year-old Rafeeq Badee of Decatur. Badee was shot several times as he sat in his vehicle at an apartment on Woodberry Place, near Flakes Mill Road and south of Flat Shoals Parkway, according to investigators. The suspects also took his vehicle and his phone before fleeing. Badee died while in an ambulance, investigators said.
Days later, David Grogan, 28, surrendered at the police department and was later charged with murder and armed robbery after being interviewed, investigators previously said. On Wednesday, two additional suspects, including an 18-year-old and a juvenile, were arrested with help from the U.S. Marshals Service and charged with murder and armed robbery, the sheriff’s office said.
Ja’Quan Deodrick Smith jumped from a two-story window in an attempt to avoid arrest, the sheriff’s office said. But his injuries were not life-threatening. After being treated at Grady Memorial Hospital, he was booked into the DeKalb jail, police said.
The juvenile, whose name and age were not released, was taken to a regional youth detention center, investigators said.
All three suspects are being held without bond.
After the shooting, Marie Moring, the victim’s aunt, told Channel 2 that Badee drove for Lyft part-time and had no issues in the past. She explained that Lyft alerted police after Badee’s vehicle had come to a stop.
“He’s a hard-working, God-fearing man. Everything for his community, for his family, that’s all he cared about. He’s never been in any trouble,” Moring told the news station.
