PELHAM, GA (WALB) - A second arrest was made Friday night in the murder of the Pelham grocery store owner.
Hurbert Laster, 20, is now being held in the Mitchell County jail on murder charges.
According to Pelham’s Police Chief, Nealie McCormick, they already had two men in custody, Laster was one of them.
They released him and said he was just a witness. After the GBI investigated, they figured out he was in connection with the crime.
He was arrested around 6:30 Friday night. According to police, Jerrod Johnson pulled the trigger and Hurbert was there while it happened.
Both men will be charged with murder. Johnson will have other charges as well. Those charges are still being processed.
Copyright 2018 WALB. All rights reserved.
PELHAM, GA (WALB) - A suspect has been charged in the death of a Pelham grocery store owner, according to the Pelham Police Department.
Jerrod Johnson, 19, was charged in connection to the death of Bob Bettison.
WALB is still working on getting Johnson’s official charges.
Bettison, Bettison Grocery Store owner, 79, died as a result of a gunshot wound after he was taken to a Thomasville hospital late Friday afternoon.
Law enforcement ruled the incident a homicide.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation has cleared the active scene.
Family members have arrived at Bettison Grocery Store.
Officials with the Pelham Police Department said they are tying to sign off on a community prayer vigil at a downtown Pelham park.
The suspect is possibly facing multiple charges, which are still pending.
The GBI, Mitchell County Sheriff’s Office, and the Pelham Police Department were on the scene.
Pelham police officials said Bettison was shot in the head, around 11 a.m.
A customer entered the store and found Bettison laying on the floor, according to law enforcement.
About 2:15 p.m., Pelham Police Chief Nealie McCormick told WALB that Bettison died at Archbold Memorial Hospital in Thomasville.
When police arrived, they discovered that Bettison was robbed, officials said.
This a developing story and we will update as more information becomes available.
Copyright 2018 WALB. All rights reserved.
PELHAM, GA (WALB) - Law enforcement is on the scene of an armed robbery on Glausier Street in Pelham, where a man was shot, late Friday morning.
The GBI, the Mitchell County Sheriff’s Office, and Pelham Police are on scene, where Pelham Police officials say that Bob Bettison, the owner of the store was shot in the head, around 11:00.
About 2:15, Pelham Police Chief Nealie McCormick told WALB News that Bettison has died at a Thomasville hospital.
When police arrived, they discovered that Bettison, who is said to be in his 80’s, was robbed. Pelham Police Chief Neil McCormick says they currently have two people in custody for questioning.
The last robbery at this store was a few years ago, during a gang Initiation. The last shooting in Pelham happened in 2016, police say.
Copyright 2018 WALB. All rights reserved.
