A suspect was taken into custody Monday in the shooting death of a 16-year-old in Sylacauga.
Julian Nacarie Speer, 18, is charged with capital murder in the slaying of Dallas Bee Johnson.
Police Chief Kelley Johnson said Speer was taken into custody at a relative’s home on Tabor Road in Gadsden. Sylacauga police, Talladega County Drug and Violent Crime Task Force agents, Etowah County Drug Enforcement Unit agents and U.S. Marshals made the arrest about 10:45 a.m.
Dallas, a freshman at Central High School in Coosa County, was fatally shot on March 7.
Police responded that Tuesday to the Drew Court public housing complex on a report of shots fired. When they arrived, they found the young victim in the roadway. He was pronounced dead on the scene.
“It’s been hard, real hard,’’ Dallas’s grieving mother, Shirley Averette, told AL.com.
Averette said her son was talking with friends when a vehicle drove by and someone from inside that vehicle opened fire. She said she never expected her son to be killed in an act of violence.
“He was a good child,’’ Averette said. “Everybody loved him.”
Dallas loved football and basketball.
“He liked playing with the little kids,’’ she said. “Anytime they wanted to play some kind of sports, he would play with them.”
The chief said Speer was interviewed by investigators and then taken to the Talladega County Jail to await his initial hearing. Speer’s warrant was signed by Talladega County Circuit Judge Will Hollingsworth and has “No Bond” set in the case.
After the arrest, agents and investigators obtained a search warrant for the residence and conducted a search. Evidence collected during the search did include guns.
The guns will be processed to determine if they are involved in Dallas’s death.
“Sylacauga Police Department and the victim’s family would like to thank everyone that helped in this case and a special thank you to those that came forward with information from the community that made this arrest possible,’’ the chief said.
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