A third previously unidentified suspect in connection with the hate-motivated murder of gay DeKalb County resident Ronald “Trey” Peters has been arrested, according to the AJC.
Tyreese Johnson, 19, was arrested on Wednesday (July 31) on charges of felony murder and armed robbery. He joins Shaleeya Moore and Joshua Ellis, who were previously arrested in connection with the hate crime.
Johnson is accused of being the gunman who fatally shot Peters, 28, on June 4. Peters was approached by two men who demanded he give them his backpack. When he refused, the driver told him to “give him the f***ing bag, f*g,” then got out of the car and started firing. Peters was fatally shot twice.
Bystanders told police that the pair reportedly drove away from the scene in a maroon car driven by a third person.
“Unfortunately, this deadly attack is not a rare or isolated event. Rather, this is the latest in a long string of hate-motivated incidents,” said Allison Padilla-Goodman of the Anti-Defamation League. “Our hearts go out to the family of Ronald Peters. We are praying for his family and his partner, Titus Davis. It is time to show all Georgians and the nation that we take people’s identities seriously and protect them. We will not allow bias and bigotry to reign free, and we believe that everyone should be who they are without fear of violence.”
With Johnson’s arrest, all three persons of interest involved with the murder are now in custody.