Triple Shooting Leaves 2 Dead, Suspect Charged With Murder: Athens Police

ATHENS, GA — A 22-year-old man is charged with murder after a weekend shooting in Athens left two men dead and a third person in critical condition, according to police.

Mark Desousa of Jefferson was arrested Saturday and charged with malice murder, aggravated assault and aggravated battery, police said.

The deceased include 22-year-old Clayton Adams of Hull, who died Saturday, and 19-year-old Dylan Bentley of Jefferson, who died Sunday, according to police.

Officers responded around 2:20 a.m. Saturday to the scene of the shooting, which was reported to be in a parking lot in the 400 block of North Jackson Street, in a central commercial area of Athens, police said.

Shanna Roe identified the third person shot as her son, 20-year-old Landon Skinner, in an interview with 11Alive. She told the outlet he was shot in the eye and is expected to undergo multiple surgeries, and also revealed Desousa was Skinner’s best friend for six years.

"I know that God's gonna pull him through, and I just keep praying, and I keep believing that, and I'm gonna hold on to that," she told 11Alive. "My son is a wonderful, wonderful person, and I just believe that God has a big plan for him, and I'm just believing that he's gonna pull through this."