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Police search for man accused of killing 18-year-old barber in Clayton County

More than three months after the shooting, investigators said Jaimonni Watkins-Causey is accused of killing the young barber.

CLAYTON COUNTY, Ga. — Months after a teenage entrepreneur was shot and killed outside of his barbershop, Clayton County Police said they know who pulled the trigger. 

Anthony "China" McClain died outside of Da Barbas Lab on April 2. Police were called to River Station Plaza along West Fayetteville Road after they said the 18-year-old was shot standing outside of his shop. 

More than three months after the shooting, Clayton County Police Department investigators said Jaimonni Watkins-Causey is accused of killing the young barber. Causey is now wanted on felony murder and aggravated assault charges, according to police.

"I hope that (brings) some closure for the family because the grievance that they're having is different. I haven't seen anybody hurt so much," Dartagnan Hadden, a barber at Da Barbas Lab said Wednesday.

Hadden, who once worked with McClain said the shop the teen owned with his mother has a different energy in his absence.

A chair once buzzing with business is now a memorial.

“I may walk over to the chair and I feel a particular energy that might prompt a thought about the family or about the duties that he used to do here," Hadden said. "For three months, I'm grieving myself."

Hadden expressed how McClain had a bright future and a good heart.

The barbershop was the teen's second business. He also owned an organic juice company he had recently received an LLC for before his death. McClain was in college and received his license to cut hair beforehand, working his way to earn his own chair in the front of the shop. 

Credit: Provided
Anthony McClain

"He was great at everything he did at the barbershop. He helped me do the wiring; he helped me do the plumbing," his mother Nora Huff said in a previous interview with 11Alive. She said though they owned the barbershop together, he always put extra effort into the business.

Loved ones described McClain as family-oriented and future-focused.

Now the barbers who work next to his empty seat say they continue to pray for justice and uphold McClain's legacy.

"I was definitely glad to see that they haven't forgot about the case and that they have put some time and effort into it," Hadden said. “We're doing our best to hold everything together and continue in his memory."

Editor's note: This story was updated with McClain's correct age; he was 18 years old, not 17 years old. 

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