Clark Atlanta University baseball player Jatonne Sterling, 20, is shot dead: Students gather for candlelight vigil to honor him as police charge 25-year-old man with murder
The Clark Atlanta University community is mourning the loss of 20-year-old baseball player Jatonne Sterling after he was shot to death on Tuesday.
Police have arrested 25-year-old Keontay Holliman-Peoples in connection with the shooting, charging him with murder and aggravated assault.
According to officers, Sterling and Holliman-Peoples knew each other and got into a fight.
“We know there was some correspondence prior to Tuesday and even Tuesday morning,” Deputy Chief of Police Charles Hampton Jr. said. of Atlanta at a press conference on Thursday.
“This was not a random murder.”
Clark Atlanta University baseball player Jatonne Sterling was murdered Tuesday at the age of 20
Students gathered to hold a candlelight vigil for Sterling, with a suspect in police custody
Hampton added that Sterling got into a parked vehicle with Holliman-Peoples and another unidentified person, after which there was an escalated dispute that led to shots being fired in the car.
Authorities responded to the Lyke House Catholic Center just before 2 p.m., where they found Sterling and pronounced him dead at the scene.
Sterling was originally from Chicago, where he excelled at baseball and earned a college scholarship to play for the Panthers in Division II.
In the aftermath of the shooting, students staged a vigil on Clark Atlanta’s campus to commemorate his life.
The university paid tribute to him, writing on Twitter: ‘Our hearts and prayers go out to the family, friends and teammates of our student Jatonne Sterling.
“Please keep his family and the entire CAU community in your prayers.”
In his spare time, Sterling also pursued a career in music, which he promoted heavily on his Instagram page.