Five suspects charged in Shirley B. Winston Recreation Center murder

Staff Reporter

Columbus police have arrested five suspects in connection with the August shooting death of a man inside Shirley B. Winston Recreation Center, officials announced Tuesday.

The latest arrests came Sept. 30, when the department’s Fugitive Unit took Elijah Smith, 20, Cortez Turner, 21, and Christopher Culler, 18, into custody. Each faces charges of murder and armed robbery.

JaMorris Baker, 20, who had been previously charged in the case, was also extradited to Columbus this week and booked into the Muscogee County Jail. All four are scheduled to appear in Recorder’s Court on Oct. 2. Police said more arrests are expected as the investigation continues.

The original suspect, Navaris Johnson, 18, was arrested Sept. 22 by the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office and U.S. Marshals Task Force. Investigators identified Johnson as the shooter through surveillance video and social media evidence. A stolen firearm was recovered at the time of his arrest. Johnson is charged with murder, aggravated assault, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime.

The charges stem from an Aug. 29 shooting at Shirley B. Winston Recreation Center, where officers responding to reports of gunfire found Jacarie Charles fatally shot inside the gym. Investigators said video footage showed the suspect confronting Charles, attempting to take his belongings, and then shooting him once in the chest before stealing items and fleeing.

Police determined Baker supplied Johnson with the backpack used in the crime. Baker was initially charged Sept. 11 in Russell County, Ala., and held there until his extradition this week.

“Our message is clear—if you commit violent acts in our city, we will find you, and we will hold you accountable,” Chief Stoney Mathis said in a statement. Assistant Chief Lance Deaton added that curbing violent crime will require community support, while Mayor Skip Henderson credited police technology and teamwork, saying suspects “have a 100 percent chance of being caught.”

Columbus police thanked multiple law enforcement partners, including sheriff’s offices in Russell, Lee and Sumter counties, the Phenix City Police Department, and the U.S. Marshals Task Force.

The case remains under investigation.