Auburn Shootings: Reward offered, 2 men charged

Police looking for alleged Auburn shooter Desmonte Leonard have placed a $15,000 bounty on his head for information leading to his capture, the  AJC has reported.

Leonard – who is alleged to have shot and killed three people (including two Auburn football players) and hurt three others after an argument at a pool party on Saturday when violently out of control – was seen fleeing the scene and is the No.1 suspect in the shootings.

While a major manhunt for Leonard continues (the AJC says that they believe that Leonard is currently in Montgomery, Al.), two men have been charged with hindering the police’s search for him.

One of the men is Jeremy Thomas, who fled the scene with Leonard after the shooting, which saw Ladarious Phillips, Ed Christian and Demario Pitts die. Both Phillips and Christian were former players for the Auburn Tigers. Two of the three wounded have been thankfully released from hospital, although John Robertson still lies in hospital after a gunshot wound to the head.

The AJC notes that Thomas was free on bond awaiting a murder trial for the shooting of 14-year old Takira Sada Gaston

The other man is Gabriel Thomas, who  – according to the Chronicle – was charged “after allegedly having contact with Leonard after the shooting and providing false information to officers.”

Also, it emerged that there had been a shooting incident only last April at the apartments, although thankfully no-one was killed.