SAVANNAH, GA (June 1, 2015): Criminal Investigations Division commander, Maj. Richard Zapal, this afternoon announced the arrests of two juveniles in the fatal shooting Sunday of a teen in the Victory Manor area of Savannah and added details to a double shooting last Friday in the Sackville area.
Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Police SWAT officers arrested one suspect in Sunday’s homicide at his residence in an early morning raid and the other soon after. He said their names will be released later in the week.
Mikell Wright of an East 69th Street address had been found Sunday afternoon with gunshot injuries at 4:43 p.m. at East 39th and Loyola streets. He was transported to Memorial University Medical Center where he died. His younger brother had been struck with a gun in the event. No motive has been established.
A resident in the area had run to the victim’s aid to begin CPR and other citizens helped provide information that led to the arrests, Zapal said. He also said his detectives are investigating an incident just after midnight this morning in which multiple shots were fired at an apartment in the complex to determine if the events are related.
In last Friday’s shootings, Ricky Tyrone Craig, 21, and Dominique Leonard Dillard, 28, were found with wounds in the 1100 block of East 59th Street about noon Friday.
Craig had been dragged into his house and Dillard was found in the yard. Indications are that they had been firing at each other. In each case, Zapal said, the victims were targeted by their assailants.
Craig also had been shot at the same location on March 9 and had refused to cooperate with police in the investigation. After Friday’s shooting, Metro Police obtained a warrant to search the house and had discovered marijuana, scales to weigh the marijuana and military-grade body armor.
“I don’t know how many of you feel compelled to wear body armor to work, but it indicates to me some of the risky behavior that Chief (Joseph H. “Jack”) Lumpkin referred to in his comments last Friday,” Zapal said.
Lumpkin had said: “Clearly, behavior in the house and by participants led to endangerment of the entire neighborhood. School is out, so children were playing on nearby lawns; residents were in their yards and on their porches; and innocent potential victims were driving by.”
Zapal continued to urge community members to work with police to help stem the number of shootings reported.
“We are proud to report that members of the public have come forward to help provide us with information to solve these cases,” Zapal said. “This is what it takes. These are not random events. When members of the community stand up to provide information, criminals get the message that this will not be tolerated in these neighborhoods.”
Detectives continue to seek information on the shootings and shots fired calls.
Anyone with information is asked to call Crimestoppers at (912) 234-2020 or text CRIMES (274637) using the keyword CSTOP2020. Tipsters remain anonymous and may qualify for a cash reward.
A Tip Line also is open directly to investigators at (912) 525-3124 and most area clergy have agreed to serve as liaisons for anyone who would like to share information with police anonymously.
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