DOUGLAS COUNTY, Ga. — A star athlete at a high school in Douglas County, Georgia, is being held in jail without bond after police arrested him on murder charges.
Police arrested Jalen Morgan, 17, on the Alexander High School campus last week because they said he was part of a conspiracy to commit murder in May of last year.
Investigators said seven people were involved, and Morgan, along with his cousin LeAndrea Morgan, acted as the lookouts for the crime.
“Two of these individuals had pre-existing issues with each other, and they showed up in an attempt to commit this act,” said Sgt. Jesse Hambrick, with the Douglas County Sheriff's Office.
WSB-TV's Tyisha Fernandes learned that the intended target for the crime was not the person shot and killed.
The documents say that during the robbery, one of the suspects fired a shot at the intended target – Kenneth McClary – but McClary shot back and killed the suspect.
Now, all seven suspects are being held in jail without bond.
Police arrested the suspects just a few weeks after the slaying, and last week they arrested the Morgan cousins. They've wrapped the case.
“These last two were the last two that they expect, and they’re ready to move forward from there,” Hambrick said.
Each suspect is facing several charges, and one is accused of being a gang member. Investigators said he's part of the Bloods.
They're saying he committed the crime with the intent to maintain and increase his status as a known gang member.