In the summer of 2017, a young man's life was tragically cut short in a violent encounter in Decatur, Georgia. Darin Thurman Jr., a 21-year-old male from Lawrenceville, was found deceased in the early hours of June 10th. He was discovered slumped over in the driver's seat of a 2016 Nissan Sentra, which was riddled with bullets, in the parking lot of the Austin Oaks apartments on Glenwood Road.
An anonymous 911 call reporting gunshots led police to the scene where they found Thurman with gunshot wounds to his chest and left arm.
According to Thurman's 19-year-old brother, who arrived at the scene shortly after the police, the two had driven to the DeKalb County apartment complex to meet with some women. While they were waiting in the car, an unknown assailant approached the vehicle and opened fire. The brother managed to escape the gunfire and fled to call for help. Witnesses at the apartment complex later provided harrowing details of the event. One witness reported seeing a man knock on the window of Thurman's car, speak to him, and then begin shooting.
The investigation into Darin Thurman's death quickly progressed, leading to the identification and arrest of two teenage suspects from Decatur. The first to be taken into custody was 19-year-old Iran King, who was apprehended by DeKalb County Sheriff's deputies on July 3rd at his residence. Warrants indicated that King was the individual who allegedly knocked on Thurman's car window before shooting him multiple times. Following the shooting, witnesses saw the suspect removing items from the vehicle, which were later specified in warrants as a handgun, wallet, cell phone, and cash.
A second suspect, 19-year-old Darnell Thompson, was arrested on July 13th and was described as a possible accomplice in the fatal armed robbery. Both King and Thompson were charged with felony murder and armed robbery for their alleged roles in the death of Darin Thurman Jr. Thompson was taken into custody without incident at a residence on Wild Springs Court in Decatur and was booked into the DeKalb County Jail.
