Former NBA player Javaris Crittenton was identified from a photo lineup by a witness as the gunman who fatally shot a woman last month, an Atlanta police detective testified at a hearing.
James Thorpe said a man who was walking with Julian Jones when she was shot had a “good, clear look” at the shooter and said it was Crittenton, prompting police to charge the former local collegiate basketball star with murder.
A neighbour also identified Crittenton as the gunman in the drive-by shooting, Thorpe said, and police claim the shots were meant for a man with Jones who Crittenton believed had stolen jewellery from him.
Crittenton, who attended Georgia Tech University, last played for the NBA’s Washington Wizards. He missed last season with an injury and most of the prior season after a suspension for his bringing guns into the Wizards’ locker room.
Crittenton’s lawyer, Brian Steel, said Crittenton is not guilty and his client is a victim of mistaken eyewitness testimony.
by Buford Balony
