Two Arrested In Auburn Murders

Posted by IV on June 12, 2012 // 1 Comment

( 4UMF NEWS ) Two Arrested In Auburn Murders:

Police have arrested suspected gunman Desmonte Leonard is located, a police spokesperson told NBC News. Leonard, 22, is believed to have fatally shot three people, including two former Auburn University football players. Three others were wounded during the shooting.

Police say that Leonard, 22, fled to Montgomery, where he lives.

On Monday, police received two 911 calls that Leonard had entered the house but did not have “unequivocal confirmation,” said Montgomery Mayor Todd Strange.

Police pumped tear gas into the house, Montgomery Police Sgt. Regina Duckett said, and then heard some coughing and movement.

Police have arrested two men in connection with the shooting: Jeremy Thomas, 18, is being questioned for hindering prosecution, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported, and Gabriel Thomas, 41, was arrested late Sunday for allegedly providing false information to police.

Auburn Police Chief Tommy Dawson said nine police agencies are involved in the search for Leonard.
The shooting occurred before midnight on Saturday at the University Heights apartments, a large complex near campus favored by Auburn University‘s students and athletes.

Leonard is suspected of pulling a gun after a fight broke out, shooting six, Dawson said at a news conference on Sunday. He apparently fled in a white Chevrolet Caprice, which he later ditched.

Edward Christian, 20, left, an Auburn University student and former football player, was fatally shot at a pool party about two miles from the university on Saturday night. Eric Mack, 20, center, was treated and released; Ladarious Phillips, 20, a student and former offensive fullback for the football team, was also killed.

Montgomery police had previously arrested Leonard in 2008 for carrying a gun without a license, according to court documents obtained by The Associated Press.

When police arrived at the scene, Edward Christian, 20, was found dead on the sidewalk. Christian was a student and former offensive lineman for the Auburn Tigers football team. Ladarious Phillips and DeMario Pitts, both 20, were transported to the hospital, where they later died. Phillips was a student and former backup fullback who gave up football in April, according to his coach. Pitts lived in Auburn.

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