FAIRBURN, Ga. — A teen wanted in the killing of two men in Richland County earlier in July has been arrested in metro Atlanta after a standoff on Wednesday, officials say.
Sheriff Leon Lott announced the arrest of a 16-year-old boy in connection with a shooting that happened on Hickory Ridge Drive on July 9. Deputies arrived at the area around 10 p.m. that night to find three people shot. Two of them, Dominic Goodwin and Xavier Hopkins, died. Both men were 22 years old and from Columbia, authorities said. The third victim's injuries weren't life-threatening, officials said.
With assistance from the South Fulton Police Department and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, investigators found the suspect at a home in the Fairburn area just outside Atlanta. Authorities said the suspect barricaded himself in a home and initially refused to come out. Law enforcement entered the house and apprehended him on July 17.
He was booked at the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center the next day on two counts of murder, one count of attempted murder, possession of a weapon by someone under the age of 18 and possession of a weapon during a violent crime.
In a press conference Friday, Sheriff Leon Lott said this shooting was an ambush situation with more than 20 rounds fired and that the 16-year-old didn't act alone. He said this is just the first arrest of a Columbia teen.
"An arrest was made within eight days and we actually knew one of the shooters very quickly. He thought that he could hide and went to Atlanta," Lott said. "Thought that being out of the Columbia area that he'd be safe. No, that's not going to happen. We tracked him all the way to the Atlanta area. Two days ago we made an arrest. This was a 16-year-old, so I cannot give you his name. I can't show you his picture."
Lott said deputies are investigating if this shooting is tied to another that happened in Hopkins around the same time.
"A 16-year-old who shot three people and killed two. That is the issue and problem that we've got. Not only here in Columbia area, but throughout the nation is young people with guns," Lott said.
Part of the solution, Sheriff Lott said, is for community members to be proactive, not reactive.
"Our school resource officers need to have more classroom, they need to have classroom time to go and teach life skills. We've got to teach these young people that that gun is not going to solve any problem, that gun's not going to get you power, it's not going to give you respect," Lott said.
The department said it has investigated 16 murders in Richland County so far this year, and Sheriff Lott said with this latest arrest, they have all been solved.
According to deputies, the third victim in this case and the only survivor was released from the hospital a day or two after the shooting on July 9, 2024.
Sheriff Lott Lott thanked the Georgia agencies involved in arresting the teen and returning him to South Carolina. While the arrest is a significant break in the case, the sheriff's department confirmed multiple suspects were involved, and the investigation continues. Anyone with information about the case can contact the Richland County Sheriff's Department at 803-576-3000 or Crime Stoppers at 1-888-CRIME-SC or CrimeSC.com.