Duluth Basketball Player Charged In Gwinnett Man's Murder

DULUTH, GA — Police have charged two teenagers in a shooting in Duluth that killed a Gwinnett County man. Akeem Turner, 21, of Suwanee, was found dead from apparent gunshot wounds on the stairway of an apartment complex at 4146 Plantation Trace Dr. in Duluth at about 9:15 p.m. Oct. 14.

Turner was reportedly shot after he met Alexander Powell, 17, in the apartment parking lot off Plantation Trace Drive. WSB TV reports that Powell, a 7-foot-tall former Duluth High School student and basketball player, took the keys to Turner's car and then ran away, while a 16-year-old suspect tried to rob Turner of $20 and marijuana and then shot him to death. The unidentified 16-year-old is facing a murder charge, while Powell faces lesser charges for cooperating with police.

According to a Duluth Police report, a witness told police he saw "a super tall white male" get into a vehicle with Turner, then get out and run away. The witness said that another man — a black male with a stocky build, wearing shorts and dark clothing — then ran up to the vehicle with a handgun and shouted "Give me everything you got!"

The witness said he went back inside, at which point he heard three gunshots and called police.

According to the Gwinnett Daily Post, Powell is charged with armed robbery and assault with intent to commit a crime, and the juvenile is charged with felony murder, armed robbery and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony.

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