The Shannon Watkins shooting happened on March 30, 2023, at a Shell gas station on Flint River Road in Jonesboro, Georgia, when a teenager grabbed the 37-year-old’s holstered handgun from his hip inside the store and used it to kill him. Two 18-year-olds, Chris Ervin Jr. and Kenderrion J. Muse, were arrested within days and charged with felony murder.1FOX 5 Atlanta. Man Killed at Jonesboro Store After Gun Stolen From Holster
How the Shooting Happened
Shortly after 1 p.m., Watkins walked into the Shell station in the 500 block of Flint River Road in Clayton County to buy a drink. He was carrying a handgun in a hip holster. As he waited in line, a male suspect came up from behind, pulled the gun out of the holster, and ran out of the store.1FOX 5 Atlanta. Man Killed at Jonesboro Store After Gun Stolen From Holster
A struggle followed. During it, the suspect fired multiple shots at Watkins. When Watkins tried to run, a second suspect got out of a vehicle parked outside and also opened fire. Both then drove away in a white Chrysler 300. Police said surveillance footage showed two people gunning down the victim in the parking lot.2Atlanta News First. Man Wanted for Clayton County Gas Station Murder Turned Himself In Watkins was taken to a hospital with multiple gunshot wounds and died there.3Atlanta News First. Man Arrested After Reportedly Killing Victim During Jonesboro Robbery
The Two Suspects
Chris Ervin Jr.
Clayton County detectives identified Chris Ervin Jr., 18, after what police called an extensive investigation. Warrants were obtained and the Clayton County Sheriff’s Office took him into custody the day after the shooting.1FOX 5 Atlanta. Man Killed at Jonesboro Store After Gun Stolen From Holster His charges:
- Felony murder
- Aggravated assault with intent to kill
- Robbery by snatching
- Cruelty to children in the first degree
- Criminal damage in the first degree
- Discharging a firearm near a highway
- Reckless conduct
- Possession of a weapon during the commission of a crime
The cruelty-to-children charge suggests a minor was at or near the scene, but reporting did not explain the circumstances.3Atlanta News First. Man Arrested After Reportedly Killing Victim During Jonesboro Robbery
Kenderrion J. Muse
On April 1, 2023, two days after the shooting, Kenderrion J. Muse, also 18, turned himself in to the Clayton County Sheriff’s Office. He was processed at Clayton County Police headquarters and taken to the Clayton County Jail.2Atlanta News First. Man Wanted for Clayton County Gas Station Murder Turned Himself In Muse was charged with felony murder, aggravated assault with intent to kill, robbery by sudden snatching, and possession of a weapon during the commission of a crime.1FOX 5 Atlanta. Man Killed at Jonesboro Store After Gun Stolen From Holster
Reporting did not establish which of the two teenagers actually snatched the gun inside the store. One account noted it was “unclear which teen stole the gun.”4Yahoo News. Second Suspect Turns Himself In for Man Killed at Jonesboro Store No other accomplices were charged.
Why Both Teens Face Felony Murder
Under Georgia’s felony murder statute, O.C.G.A. § 16-5-1, prosecutors can bring a murder charge when a death occurs during the commission of a felony, even if the defendant did not personally intend to kill. They need to show a felony was underway, a death happened during it, and a causal link between the two. Anyone taking part in the underlying felony can be charged, not only the person who fired the fatal shot.
The underlying felony here was robbery by sudden snatching under Georgia Code § 16-8-40, which is complete the moment someone grabs property from another person with intent to steal, regardless of whether a weapon or threat is used at the point of the taking.5Justia. Georgia Code § 16-8-40 – Robbery That is the legal theory that lets both Ervin and Muse face felony murder no matter which one pulled the trigger.
Case Status
As of the most recent available reporting, Ervin and Muse were being held at the Clayton County Jail after their arrests in early April 2023. No public reporting has confirmed a grand jury indictment, pleas, or trial proceedings. Felony murder in Georgia carries a potential sentence of life in prison.