In the early morning hours of December 14, 2014, what began as an off-campus party at the Tiger Lodge apartment complex in Auburn, Alabama, ended in the tragic death of 18-year-old Jakell Lenard Mitchell. An American college football player and a freshman at Auburn University, Mitchell was a promising tight end/H-back who was redshirting his first season.
He was a celebrated athlete from Opelika High School, not far from the university campus.
That night, Mitchell was at a party with his girlfriend, Ayanna Hughuley. An argument reportedly broke out in the parking lot between Mitchell and another man. According to Hughuley, a third individual, who was the other man's cousin, then pulled out a handgun. As the verbal altercation escalated, this third man opened fire, striking Mitchell multiple times in the chest.
Auburn Police responded to a call of shots fired at the apartment complex around 12:25 a.m. Upon their arrival, they discovered Mitchell inside a vehicle that was attempting to leave the complex, presumably to take him to the hospital. He was quickly transferred to an ambulance and rushed to the East Alabama Medical Center, but he was pronounced dead shortly after his arrival.
The investigation into the shooting moved swiftly. Within hours, by 10:45 a.m. the same day, authorities had a suspect in custody. Markale Deandra Hart, a 22-year-old from Camp Hill, Alabama, was arrested in Dadeville, about 25 miles from Auburn. The arrest was a collaborative effort between the Auburn Police Division, the Tallapoosa County Sheriff's Department, and the Jackson's Gap Police. Hart was charged with murder and transported to the Lee County jail. At the time of his arrest for Mitchell's murder, Hart was already on probation for a previous burglary charge. Police stated that they did not anticipate any further arrests in connection with the shooting.
