Former NBA Player Javaris Crittenton Charged With Murder
In this Jan. 25, 2010, photo, Washington Wizards basketball player Javaris Crittenton leaves D.C. Superior Court in Washington. (Photo: AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File)
Former NBA player Javaris Crittenton has been charged with murder in the shooting of a woman on an Atlanta street.
Crittenton was once suspended by the league for bringing a gun into the Washington Wizards locker room.
Police spokesman Carlos Campos said on Friday that police have secured a murder warrant for Crittenton’s arrest. Campos said that Crittenton, who once played for Georgia Tech, has not yet been arrested and is wanted.
The victim, 22-year-old Jullian Jones, a mother of four, was shot on Aug. 19. She was reportedly walking with a group of people on the city’s southwest side when she was shot by someone inside a dark-colored SUV, police say.
Campos said the motive may be in retaliation for a robbery in April, in which Crittenton was a victim.
Investigators say they don’t believe Jones was the intended target.
A source close to the investigation told ESPN that Crittenton had jewelry stolen in April and confirmed the shooting was in retaliation for that robbery.
Crittenton is believed to be in the Los Angeles area, according to reports.
The FBI is involved in the investigation.
Crittenton most recently played in the NBA with Washington in the 2008−09 season. He was then involved in a locker room gun confrontation with teammate Gilbert Arenas. Crittenton was suspended for the final 38 games of the 2009−10 season by the NBA after he and Arenas admitted to bringing guns into the locker room.
Crittenton pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor gun charge last January and received probation.