GBI Arrests Five South Carolina Residents in Elbert County Murder Investigation

Charges include murder and gang act violations 

UPDATE - November 7, 2024:

The GBI Metro Gang Task Force arrested and charged Christopher Bell, age 19, of Anderson, SC, with Murder, Violation of the Georgia Street Gang Terrorism and Prevention Act, Aggravated Battery, and four counts of Aggravated Assault in connection to the death of a 15-year-old and the shooting of several other people from Elbert County, GA.

On Thursday, November 7, 2024, the GBI executed a search warrant on a home in Lithonia, Dekalb County, GA, where Bell was located and taken into custody.

The GBI Special Operations Unit, the GBI Appalachian Regional Drug Enforcement Office, the Dekalb County Police Department, and the FBI assisted the GBI Metro Gang Task Force with this arrest and search warrant.

Bell was taken to the Dekalb County Jail pending extradition to Elbert County.

This investigation is active and ongoing. Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the Elbert County Sheriff’s Office at 706-283-2421or the GBI regional investigative office in Athens at 706-552-2309. Anonymous tips can also be submitted by calling 1-800-597-TIPS (8477), online at https://gbi.georgia.gov/submit-tips-online, or by downloading the See Something, Send Something mobile app.

ORIGINAL RELEASE -
Elbert County, GA (November 1, 2024) – The GBI has arrested and charged the following five people in connection to the death of a 15-year-old and the shooting of several other individuals from Elbert County, GA:

• Jarquavious Scott, age 18, of Anderson, South Carolina, charged with Murder, 4 counts of Aggravated Assault, Aggravated Battery, and Violation of the Georgia Street Gang Terrorism and Prevention Act. Scott was arrested on October 17, 2024. 
• Destanne Mathis, age 20, of Anderson, South Carolina, charged with Murder, Party to a Crime, and Violation of the Georgia Street Gang Terrorism and Prevention Act. Mathis was arrested on October 28, 2024. 
• Aanidras Parks, age 18, of Anderson, South Carolina, charged with Murder, 4 counts of Aggravated Assault, Aggravated Battery, and Violation of the Georgia Street Gang Terrorism and Prevention Act. Parks was arrested on October 28, 2024. 
• Jerimiyah Hughes, age 19, of Anderson, South Carolina, charged with Murder, 3 counts of Aggravated Assault, Aggravated Battery, and Violation of the Georgia Street Gang Terrorism and Prevention Act. Hughes was arrested on October 30, 2024. 
• Desmond Latimer, age 18, of Anderson, South Carolina, charged with Murder, Party to a Crime, and Violation of the Georgia Street Gang Terrorism and Prevention Act. Latimer was arrested on October 30, 2024. 

On Sunday, October 13, 2024, the Elbert County Sheriff’s Office requested the GBI to investigate a shooting that occurred just before midnight on October 12, resulting in a homicide. The incident took place on Evergreen Drive in Elberton, Elbert County, GA, at a homecoming dance after-party for Elbert County High School students. During the shooting, a 15-year-old was killed, four individuals sustained gunshot wounds, and three others sustained injuries related to the shooting incident.

All five individuals were booked into Elbert County Jail.

This investigation is active and ongoing. Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the Elbert County Sheriff’s Office at 706-283-2421 or the GBI regional investigative office in Athens at 706-552-2309. Anonymous tips can also be submitted by calling 1-800-597-TIPS (8477), online at https://gbi.georgia.gov/submit-tips-online, or by downloading the See Something, Send Something mobile app.

Once the investigation is complete, the case file will be given to the Northern Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office for prosecution.