VALDOSTA — A Waycross teen and a Valdosta teen were arrested and charged after an incident at the Valdosta Mall.
Quincy Keshawn Williams, a 17-yearold black male of Waycross, and Marcus Darius Melvin, a 17-year-old black male of Valdosta, were taken into custody Sunday, February 2 and charged with two counts of misdemeanor Obstruction of a Law Enforcement Officer.
Williams faces additional charges of Possession of a Firearm by a Person under 18, Tampering with Evidence, and Possession of a Tobacco Product by a Person under 18.
The arrests followed two incidents at the mall Sunday. Valdosta police and other first responders rushed to the Valdosta Mall shortly before 3 p.m. after a gun was fired in the facility. No one was injured, police said.
The shot appeared to have been an accident. Witnesses reported heavily armed police responding to the incident, and a police car pulled onto the sidewalk to the entrance of the mall.
An off-duty Valdosta police officer heard a gunshot inside the mall while shopping with his family. As the officer went toward the gunshot and people were scattering, witnesses pointed to a male, later identified as Melvin.
The officer approached Melvin and identified himself, at which time Melvin appeared as though he was going to try to flee. The officer grabbed him and within minutes, numerous Valdosta Police Officers and Lowndes County Deputies arrived.
Based on evidence collected at the scene, officers determined the gunshot was possibly an accidental discharge by someone carrying a gun in their pants. Officers found one spent shell casing, small pieces of clothing, and damage to the floor in a straight downward trajectory.
Even though Melvin was uncooperative and resisted the off-duty officer’s requests, there was no evidence connecting him, so he was allowed to leave.
The mall was on lockdown for a short time but had returned to normal operations before 3:30 p.m.
Mall Security Officers called E911 at 4:40 p.m., to report the subjects who had been involved in the earlier gunshot had returned to the mall.
A detailed description was provided to officers, as well as their location outside the mall.
When officers arrived, they found the two males, Melvin and Williams. Mall Security Officers confirmed these were the two subjects they had called E911 about.
As officers attempted to detain Melvin and Williams, they both physically resisted arrest and refused to identify themselves.
When officers first observed Melvin and Williams, they were standing by a trailer. Officers found a firearm under the trailer.
A Mall Security Officer told officers he had observed Williams pull the gun from his jacket and hide it under the trailer as police officers were pulling up.
Both were arrested and transported to Lowndes County Jail.
The caliber of the firearm located by officers did not match the caliber of the shell casing found inside the mall. The case of the discharge of a gun inside the mall is still under investigation.
