3 Charged In Shooting Near Site Of Canton Double Homicide

CANTON, GA -- Just weeks after two men were gunned down in a neighborhood outside downtown Canton, officers have arrested three people in connection to another shooting in the same area. Canton residents Bryon Elrod, 31, Brian Miller, 31, and Darron Brown, 27, were all arrested and charged late Tuesday evening following a shooting reported near Crisler Street and Jefferson Circle.

Canton-Sixes Patch readers may recall this area as the same location where two men, Tony A. Samples and William Kendrick Randall, were shot and killed in late June.

Officers were dispatched around 9:43 p.m. July 11 to the area in response to a call of a person firing a weapon from a white SUV with a temporary/dealer tag. Officers and detectives arrived to find no one injured, but two spent shell casings. A be-on-the-lookout alert was issued for the vehicle, and a deputy with the Cherokee Sheriff's Office conducted a traffic stop on the SUV in the area of Bells Ferry and Sixes roads.

During the stop, a stolen handgun from Virginia was located and additional investigation led to the arrests of the men inside the vehicle.

Each man has been charged with five counts of aggravated assault, theft by receiving, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, possession of firearm during commission of a felony and reckless conduct. They are being held at the Cherokee County Adult Detention Center on $69,150 bond, said Cherokee Sheriff's Office spokesperson Sgt. Marianne Kelley.

Detectives are working to determine if the July 11 incident is connected to the June 25 double homicide. While three people were arrested and charged in connection to that investigation, they have not been directly linked to the deaths.

Canton Police Chief Mark Mitchell said the agency is grateful that no one was hurt during Tuesday's shooting. He also thanked the Cherokee Sheriff's Office for its assistance in capturing the three men.

"My hope is with our strong presence, the arrest from last night and our active investigation with the homicide case toward further arrests, these efforts will greatly improve the quality of life for the good citizens who live in this area and bring justice to both of these criminal acts," he added.

Photo: from left to right are Brian Miller, Darron Brown and Bryon Elrod. Credit: Cherokee Sheriff's Office