DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — Two men, one in his late teens and another in his early 20s, have been arrested in connection with separate murders that took place in DeKalb County over the course of more than a year.
The DeKalb County Sheriff's Office said on Monday that it had arrested a 19-year-old Lawrenceville man for the May 18 murder of Tavon Jones. According to a statement from the sheriff's office, the suspect is accused of setting up a drug deal in Clarkston and then robbing the suspected buyers. He also shot Jones.
The suspect, now facing a charge of malice murder, was taken into custody at a Stone Mountain home without incident and taken to DeKalb County Jail.
The DeKalb County Sheriff's Office also announced an additional arrest, this one of a 22-year-old man, for the March 18, 2020 shooting death of Jai Hayes on Panola Road in Lithonia. Hayes was found dead in an SUV around 4:30 a.m. that morning.
In this case, the sheriff's office said the suspect, a Stonecrest resident, turned himself in to fugitive taskforce investigators without incident. He was wanted on a warrant for malice murder.
The two arrests come just weeks after DeKalb announced an $11.5 million plan to reduce crime and support public safety. Slightly more than half is expected to go toward $3,000 bonuses for public safety employees with $2 million also going to training equipment and crime intervention.
The funds are part of $73 million given to the county through the American Rescue Plan.