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Jatonne Sterling: Community grieves as 20-yr-old Clark Atlanta University basketball player is shot dead

An official said, 'We know that there was some correspondence prior to Tuesday and even as early as Tuesday morning. This was not a random homicide'

ATLANTA, GEORGIA: Jatonne Sterling, a 20-year-old baseball player at Clark Atlanta University, was shot and killed on Tuesday, February 28, 2023, and the school's community is mourning his death. Keontay Holliman-Peoples, 25, was detained by police and charged with felony murder and aggravated assault in connection with the incident.

Officers claim that Sterling and Holliman-Peoples were acquainted and argued. At a news conference on Thursday, Charles Hampton Jr, the deputy police chief for Atlanta, said, "We know that there was some correspondence prior to Tuesday and even as early as Tuesday morning," He further added, "This was not a random homicide."

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Hampton stated that after Sterling, Holliman-Peoples, and an additional unidentified person entered a parked automobile, a heated argument developed, and shots were fired inside the vehicle. Just before 2.00 pm, police were called to the Lyke House Catholic Center, where they discovered Sterling and declared him dead there.

Originally from Chicago, where he excelled at baseball and won a scholarship to play for the Panthers in Division II, Sterling was born and raised there. Following the shooting, students gathered on the campus of Clark Atlanta for a vigil to commemorate him, as reported by Daily Mail.

'Our hearts and prayers go out to the family'

In a tweet, the university paid him tribute, and wrote, "Our hearts and prayers go out to the family, friends and teammates of our student Jatonne Sterling. Please keep his family and the entire CAU community in your prayers." Sterling was a sophomore in the Clark Atlanta University. He's a Chicago native that won a 2021 city championship at Morgan Park High School.

Charges against Keontay Holliman-Peoples 

Two days after the fatal shooting in the parking lot of a Catholic Center close to campus, Holliman-Peoples, 25, was arrested on February 1 on several charges, including felony murder, aggravated assault, and possession of a firearm, as reported by Fox5Atlanta. On February 28 afternoon, when police were called to a report of a shooting, Sterling, was discovered to be unconscious and not breathing. At the scene, he was identified as deceased. According to Hampton, Holliman-Peoples, who is not a student at the university, is recovering from injuries. The police are searching for a third passenger who was in the vehicle.