GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — Gwinnett Police have taken a teen into custody on charges of felony murder and aggravated assault after a deadly shooting in the middle of a busy local business.
The shooting happened on Friday afternoon in 600 block of Satellite Boulevard near McGinnis Ferry Road. Gwinnett officers were called to the area due to what was initially described as an active shooter situation at a business.
Upon arrival, they found one gunshot victim, later identified as 38-year-old James Ross of Loganville, who was rushed to the hospital but later died. Witnesses said the shooter walked into the business and opened fire on the victim and police later determined that Ross appeared to be the only intended target.
However, the search continued in the many hours that followed for evidence in the crime - and the person responsible. The latter search ended around 10 a.m. Saturday after police pieced together the identity of a suspect and secured warrants for his arrest. Authorities now believe 18-year-old Joshua Brandt of Gainesville was responsible for the shooting.
Police said he was taken into custody without incident. However, details regarding the motive behind the shooting have not been released - if they are known at all at this point.
Police swarmed the area after the call and witnesses reported seeing several local police cars and members of the Georgia State Patrol in the immediate area as police searched for hours with the goal of finding the shooter, know believed to be Brandt.
And while no other person was injured by the gunfire itself, one other person was hurt while trying to run from the building where the gunfire took place.