On the evening of October 14, 2017, 21-year-old Akeem Turner was found with fatal gunshot wounds in a breezeway of the Colonial Grand at River Plantation apartment complex in Duluth, Georgia. Police arrived at the scene around 9:20 p.m. to find Turner unconscious and not breathing; he was later pronounced dead. The incident was the tragic culmination of what authorities believe was a setup to rob him.
Investigators determined that Turner had arranged to meet 17-year-old Alexander Powell, a 7-foot-tall former basketball player at Duluth High School, in the apartment complex's parking lot. According to police reports, a witness saw a 'super tall white male' get into a vehicle with Turner. An altercation occurred inside the car, during which Powell allegedly took Turner's keys to prevent him from leaving. After Powell exited the vehicle and fled, a second individual, a 16-year-old male, approached the car armed with a handgun. The witness described seeing a 'black male with a stocky build' run up to the car and shout, 'Give me everything you got!' Fearing for his own safety, the witness went inside his apartment and then heard three gunshots before calling 911. The attempted robbery was reportedly for $20 and marijuana.
In the aftermath of the shooting, two teenagers were arrested. The unidentified 16-year-old was charged with felony murder, armed robbery, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony. Authorities stated that this individual was the one who fired the shots that killed Turner. He was initially held at a juvenile detention center. In a bizarre turn of events, a detective later testified that the 16-year-old had returned to the crime scene in an attempt to retrieve a shoe that had been left behind.
The second suspect, Alexander Powell, faced lesser charges of armed robbery and assault with intent to commit a crime. He reportedly cooperated with the police, which led them to the alleged shooter. This cooperation resulted in a plea deal, and he did not face a murder charge, a decision that was met with anguish by Turner's mother, who felt the charges were too lenient. A judge later set a high bond of $500,000 for Powell, under the condition of house arrest. The victim's mother, Tonii Turner, shared that her son knew the suspects from playing basketball at a local gym and believed it was a senseless murder, as her son only had $20 on him at the time.
