Shooting teen turns self in
A complete list of charges has not been released yet in the murder of Richard Jermaine Boatner.
By John Popham JPopham@RN-T.com
The Rome teenager who was wanted in connection for Tuesday night’s shooting at the Cottis Inn on Martha Berry Boulevard has turned himself in at the Floyd County Jail.
Cody Deangelo Thompson surrendered himself to authorities inside the bonding lobby of the Floyd County Jail Friday night. Thompson, who had a murder warrant issued for his arrest on the night of the shooting, was wanted for killing 35-year-old Richard Jermaine Boatner. Thompson is being charged with felony murder.
Assistant Chief Debbie Burnett said both Richard Jermaine Boatner and Thompson were at a residence and engaged in an argu- ment. Burnett said Boatner left and ended up at the Cottis Inn where Thompson followed him. The two became engaged in another argument and Thompson then allegedly shot him.
Authorities issued a murder warrant for the Rome teenager for the Tuesday night shooting death of Boatner, of 131 Dodd Blvd., at the Cottis Inn off Martha Berry Boulevard.
The warrant stated the police were seeking Thompson, 18, of 154 Reservoir St. According to Rome police reports: The 911 center received a call just after 9:30 p.m. Tuesday night indicating that a man had been shot in the chest in the parking lot of the motel. When police arrived they found the victim and spoke with several women who had apparently witnessed the altercation and shooting.
One of the women identified the shooter as Thompson and said he hangs out in the South Rome area.
The owners of the motel provided video surveillance tape which captured the shooting and showed Thompson leaving the scene in a white automobile after getting into the passenger side of the vehicle.
Boatner was rushed to Floyd Medical Center where he later died from the gunshot wound.
Police recovered shells from two different caliber of guns at the scene and one of the women that met with police confirmed that she grabbed one of the guns and threw it in the direction of motel room No. 28.
Investigators have declined to offer any reason for the altercation between the two men; however, scanner traffic on Tuesday night indicated the incident may have been related to something that had occurred earlier in the day.