When he saw the person he believed robbed him, a former NBA player and Georgia Tech standout fired gunshots from a black SUV, striking a 23-year-old mother of four, Atlanta police said.
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Now, Javaris Crittenton, 23, faces a murder charge in the death of Jullian Jones, authorities said Friday night.
“It appears Mr. Crittenton observed who he thought was the perpetrator walking down the street," Major Keith Meadows told the AJC. "It so happens Miss Jones was walking down the street at the same time."
Jones was walking with others near her Macon Drive home in southwest Atlanta around 10 p.m. Aug. 19 when she was shot, police said. Several witnesses told police the shots were fired from a black Chevrolet Tahoe.
Jones was struck in the leg and later died during surgery. Two men walking with Jones fled and were not injured, and investigators now believe one of those men was the intended target.
Investigators believe Crittenton may have been seeking retaliation after being robbed of his jewelry April 21, Meadows said. Crittenton reported that crime to police.
Crittenton is not in custody and is believed to be in the greater Los Angeles area, Meadows said. Atlanta detectives are working with the FBI to take him into custody.
"Hopefully, we'll make those arrangements this evening for him to turn himself in," Meadows said.
Crittenton was selected by the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round of the 2007 NBA Draft and was traded his rookie year to the Memphis Grizzlies.
While playing for the Washington Wizards, Crittenton was involved in a December 2009 locker room incident with then-teammate Gilbert Arenas in which the two pulled guns on each other. On Jan. 25, 2010, Crittenton pleaded guilty and was given a year of probation on a misdemeanor gun possession charge. Two days later, Crittenton and Arenas were suspended for the rest of the season.
Crittenton wasn't re-signed by the Wizards. The Charlotte Bobcats signed him to a non-guaranteed contract before last season, but he was waived Oct. 15. He has joined the NBA Development League's Dakota Wizards.
Crittenton is a former AJC "Mr. Basketball" and high school star at Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy. He is originally from Atlanta and still has ties to the area, Meadows said.
Property records show Crittenton owns a home in Fayetteville.
"I'm a little at a loss for words because, knowing what he went through in Washington with the whole gun stuff, that's the first thing that comes to mind," former Georgia Tech and NBA star Dennis Scott told the AJC. "And then secondly, if all the allegations that we're hearing are true with the retaliation that police are trying to figure out, why put yourself in a situation like that?"
Scott is now a commentator on Turner-operated NBA TV in Midtown.
The funeral for Jones will be Saturday at 1 p.m. at Dodd Sterling United Methodist Church in Atlanta.
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