The third suspect who was wanted in connection with last year's McDonald's shooting and a standoff earlier this week has turned himself into authorities.
Newton County Sheriff Joedy Pennington said that Jaquan Keyes, 20, turned himself in around 3 p.m. Saturday. Josh Nuby, 19; and Seth Nuby, 20, turned themselves into authorities Tuesday. All three are facing charges of shooting into an occupied dwelling in relation to the shooting last year.
Agencies including the U.S. Marshal’s Service, Newton County Sheriff’s Department and Newton Police Department were searching for the suspects, and it took them to a residence on Martin Luther King Jr. Drive in Newton.
“The U.S. Marshal’s Service has been looking for them ever since the shooting last year,” Pennington said. “They were believed to be inside of a residence on Martin Luther King Drive in Newton.”
Pennington said they along with Newton Police were called to assist the marshals with the arrest of the three suspects. According to persons who were inside the house, they believed the suspects were there, and they began a stand-off of nearly three hours.
After law enforcement entered the dwelling, Pennington said the house was empty, and the persons later said the suspects had left the house when they found out the marshals were on the way. Pennington said they took the persons into custody at the scene.
The were identified as Dora Handford, 36, and Ja-Kyra Handford, 15, were arrested and charged with accessory after the fact.
“If anyone is harboring, aiding or helping the subjects, they will be charged,” Pennington said.
The arrests stem from an incident last fall in which the occupants in two vehicles opened fire on each other in the drive through lanes of McDonald’s , according to Newton Assistant Police Chief Johnny Martin in a previous news story.
Part of the investigation included a car fire at Burton’s Towing located at the intersection of Muley Road and Hwy. 15 North in Decatur. Based on the investigation into the incident, Martin said the car and driver were in the McDonald’s drive through at the time shots were fired.
“From his own testimony to us he told us he was there,” Martin said.
After leaving McDonald’s, the driver told investigators that the car began having mechanical issues and subsequently caught on fire when the driver pulled off the road at Burton’s Towing. The driver offered receipts to corroborate his account, and video surveillance evidence backed up the driver’s story, Martin said.
He added that it was possible that the vehicle was struck in the crossfire resulting in the eventual car fire and that the driver was simply caught in the crossfire.
