DOUGLAS, GA -
Douglas police arrested three young men in the shooting death of 38-year old Marcus Collins.
Jacob Cornett, Brandon Cole Williams, and Michael Berrian are charged with murder.
Collins was found with multiple gunshot wounds in the parking lot of the Round Tree Community Center February 14th.
Police are still working on the case and have not released a motive.
"It is still under investigation, said Douglas Police Chief Gary Casteloes. "Charges on all of the individuals are still pending. Which we will release later on. It is still an on-going investigation. We still have quite a few leads to follow up on."
The Police Chief says it was only a coincidence that those homicides happened within a few days of each other.
He says they're not connected and Douglas is still a safe community.
from the Douglas Police Department-
The Douglas Police Department announced today that it has made three arrests in connection with the shooting death of 38 year old Marcus Collins.
Collins, a local resident of Douglas was shot in the parking lot of the Round Tree Center on South Gaskin Avenue February 14, 2012. Arrested were Jacob Cornett, Brandon Cole Williams, and Michael Berrian.
According to Criminal Investigators with the Douglas Police Department, the arrests stem from a seven day long investigation of the murder that involved several different agencies.
According to Commander Jerome Perkins, the investigation was a concerted effort by the Douglas Police Department, the GBI, the Coffee County Sheriff's Office, and the Department of Juvenile Justice. "Everyone pitched in on this case," he stated, "and the mutual cooperation paid off in the eventual arrests of the offenders."
Subsequent to the murder of Collins, Chief Gary Casteloes assigned six additional Officers from the Department to assist the Investigations Unit with the investigation.
Chief Gary Casteloes stated the entire investigation was a concerted effort by all of the Agencies involved to investigate this case.
Chief Casteloes stated " all the personnel involved worked tirelessly around the clock to solve this murder and their dedication is a tribute to their professionalism and commitment to this community". "All the Agencies (GBI, Coffee County Sheriff Department, and Juvenile Justice) pulled together and shared information in this investigation".
Deputy Chief Brannen Pruette added his gratitude to the Officers who worked so diligently to solve this case, along with the elements of the GBI, Coffee County Sheriff Department, and Juvenile Justice.
"No Doubt it would have taken longer to solve the case had it not been for the mutual cooperation with the other agencies," he stated, "but we would not have been able to solve it at all had it not been for concerned citizens coming forward with pertinent information regarding the case." "I want to thank them all", he said.
Cornett, Williams, and Berrian, remain in custody and housed at the Coffee County Jail, specific charges for each individual will be released at a later time.
