Man arrested in shooting death of Clark Atlanta University student

Police arrested a 25-year-old man in the death of Jatonne Sterling, a Clark Atlanta University student-athlete who was found with a gunshot wound Tuesday near campus, police said.

Keontay Holliman-Peoples was taken into custody on several charges, including felony murder and aggravated assault, Deputy Atlanta Police Chief Charles Hampton Jr. said at a news conference Thursday.

Jatonne Sterling was a sophomore baseball player for Clark Atlanta University. (CAU Athletics)
Jatonne Sterling was a sophomore baseball player for Clark Atlanta University. (CAU Athletics)

Sterling, 20, and Holliman-Peoples knew each other and got into a dispute before the shooting, Hampton said.

“We know that there was some correspondence prior to Tuesday and even as early as Tuesday morning,” Hampton said. “This was not a random homicide.”

Hampton said Sterling got into a parked vehicle with Holliman-Peoples and another unidentified man. A dispute escalated, and shots were fired inside the car, he told reporters.

Police were called to the Lyke House Catholic Center at Atlanta University Center just before 2 p.m. Tuesday. Sterling was pronounced dead at the scene.

Authorities are investigating and have not identified the other man in the vehicle. Hampton asked anyone with information to contact Crime Stoppers.

Sterling, a sophomore from Chicago, played baseball. The university’s athletics department paid tribute to him on social media, writing: “Clark Atlanta Athletics send its condolences to Jatonne Sterling’s family and friends. Gone too soon. Please keep Jatonne’s family in your prayers.”

This story first appeared on NBCNews.com.

This article was originally published on TODAY.com

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