Police arrest 1 in deadly shooting of grandmother, second suspect on the loose

ATLANTA — Atlanta police said they have made one arrest and issued warrants for another person in connection with the deadly shooting of a grandmother driving on her way home from work last month.

Investigators said they believe the man on the run is violent and said they are working to get him off the streets as soon as possible.

Beverly Jenkins worked at the City of Refuge as a resident service specialist, working with women and children dealing with homelessness, helping them with resumes, jobs and transitional housing.

Jenkins' daughter spoke exclusively to Channel 2's Nefertiti Jaquez after learning the suspects were identified.

"This completely senseless murder of my mother, this attempted carjacking on this woman, this

innocent woman, it’s unfathomable," said Urijah Thompson.

[READ: Grandfather demands justice for wife shot, killed driving home from work]

Just two miles away from a gas station at Hopkins Street and Westview Drive, someone called 911, saying a vehicle had careened down a small grassy embankment.

TRENDING STORIES:

Detectives said someone walked up and opened fire, hitting the 49-year-old woman in the head.

Wednesday afternoon, Atlanta police announced they had arrested Adarius Jones, 18, and are currently looking for Khalid Bays, 18.

Jaquez has been covering the story since Jenkins was shot and killed in August. She broke the news of the arrest Wednesday on Twitter, hours before police held a news conference.

“All four people we believed were present at the time of the Beverly Jenkins’ homicide” have been identified, Maj. Michael O’Connor with the Atlanta Police Department said.

Homicide detectives said Jones and Bays were two of four men seen in home surveillance video captured just moments before Jenkins was shot and killed.

For a little over a month, investigators have been working several tips and leads, but had no luck finding the suspects until this week.

Investigators said two of the suspects were involved in a carjacking Sept. 17 along Ralph David Abernathy. The next day, those same suspects led police on a chase when officers spotted the car stolen from the carjacking.

[READ: Grandmother shot in head on her way home from gas station, police say]

“During that carjacking, the victim was shot twice. Those shell casings were turned into our evidence lab and were rapidly connected to the Beverly Jenkins homicide,” O’Connor said. “So, the same gun used in that carjacking was used in our homicide.”

The chase came to an end after the duo wrecked the car at Maddox Park. Police said the pair jumped out of the car and tried to make a run for it.

Jones was quickly caught, but Bays managed to get away.

“This hole will never be filled in my heart. It will never go away. It will never feel completely better," Thompson said.

Jaquez also spoke to Jenkins’ husband, Patrick, on the phone Wednesday, who told her he was thankful to the homicide detectives and APD for working this case as hard as they have.

He told her the arrest is bittersweet, saying he was alleviated the suspects have been identified but still

sad about losing the “heart and soul of their family.”

Patrick Jenkins released a statement later in the day, saying:

"I would like to thank the APD for their due diligence concerning my wife's case. We are praying for justice and are thankful that progress has been made in finding the individual or individuals responsible for her murder. Unfortunately it will not bring Beverly back --  but these latest developments will help our family find closure so that we may begin to heal.  I would also like to thank WSBTV, more specifically, Nefertiti for covering this story and keeping it alive."

Investigators said the two other suspects seen on the surveillance video have been identified, but no charges have been filed against them at this point.

"We need this to try to get better as a family to try and get through this significant loss in our life. This is our mother. We only get one and she’s gone. I would, my family would genuinely appreciate it if you turned yourself in," Thompson said.

Jones is expected in court Thursday morning.

Anyone with information on Bays' whereabouts is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 404-577-8477.

Cox Media Group