A Kennesaw State University student was killed and a woman injured after a Sunday night argument turned into a fatal shootout at an off-campus student housing complex.
Around 8:15 p.m., Jalen Parker, 24, was shot at the Bixby Kennesaw apartments on George Busbee Parkway, police said. The mechanical engineering student, originally from Albany, was rushed to Wellstar Kennestone Hospital. He died a short time later.
“Our thoughts and deepest sympathies are with the victims’ family, friends and the campus community during this incredibly difficult time,” KSU President Kathy Schwaig said in a statement.
Antoinette Hammonds, 40, of Kennesaw, was also injured in the shooting that stemmed from an argument earlier the same day, officials said.
According to Cobb County police, Hammonds’ 22-year-old son, Anthony Lockett, also from Kennesaw, had been inside the apartment when an argument broke out. Officials did not say what the argument was about, but Lockett later returned with family members and confronted the people inside the apartment, according to officials.
Police said Lockett fired multiple shots into the residence, one of which struck Parker. Then, someone inside the apartment returned fire, which led to Hammonds being hit, according to authorities. She was taken to the parking lot, where first responders found her and rushed her to the hospital. She was described as stable.
Lockett was arrested and faces charges of aggravated assault and felony murder. KSU said he is not a student. Police did not say if any additional arrests would be made.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Cobb County Police Major Crimes Unit at 770-499-3945 or Crime Stoppers Greater Atlanta at 404-577-TIPS (8477).
The apartment complex is across the street from the university’s Fifth Third Stadium. It was recently acquired by the KSU Foundation, but it remains a privately managed property and is not part of KSU’s on-campus housing program, the university said.
School officials said they did not send out a security alert to students as there was no threat to campus.
— Please return to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution for updates.
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