Suspect in custody in shooting death of prominent Jefferson High football player outside Sugarloaf Mills

A 17-year-old killed overnight in a shooting at Sugarloaf Mills mall in Gwinnett County was a star wide receiver at Jefferson High School, according to the football team’s official Twitter account. Since then, one suspect has been arrested.

Gwinnett County Police said the shooting occurred near the entrance to Dave & Buster’s in Sugarloaf Mills. Investigators were on the scene gathering evidence, reviewing surveillance video and speaking with witnesses Wednesday night.

The victim was identified by police as 17-year-old Elijah DeWitt.

On Thursday afternoon, police said one person was taken into custody out of state in connection with DeWitt’s shooting death. Investigators believe it was not a chance encounter and that the two may have known each other. The suspect’s name has not been released.

The Jefferson Dragons football team shared the pain of the community.

“The DeWitt family is in our thoughts and prayers,” the tweet read.

Police said Dave & Busters was open at the time of the shooting, but investigators don’t know if the teen was inside Dave & Busters at any point that night.

See also  Joe Burrow and more players who win final NFL awards | News, results, highlights, statistics and rumors

“Detectives are currently exploring all motives,” Gwinnett County Police spokesman Hideshi Valle said. “We don’t know what led up to the shooting.”

DeWitt’s performance on the field was featured several times on High 5 Sports, including Game of the Week during Week six when the Dragons beat Clarke Central High School.

He made a noteworthy touchdown catch against St. Pius X on September 2.

His profile on 247Sports.com showed that he had an offer to play college football at Arkansas State.

Jefferson City Schools were off this week for their fall break. The Dragons were also on a bye week.

Leave a Comment