Prosecutors charged a Greenwood teen with murder six days after he allegedly shot at three teenagers in a Greenwood subdivision, killing one and striking another.
Marcus Anthony Salatin, 16, is charged with murder and criminal recklessness, both felonies. He faces up to 71 years in prison.
Salatin is being charged as an adult, as the juvenile court system does not have jurisdiction to preside over a murder case if the offender was 16 or older at the time of the crime, said Joe Villanueva, Johnson County prosecutor.
Salatin was arrested initially on charges of murder and aggravated battery, but the battery charge was downgraded to criminal recklessness due to the severity of the gunshot wound to a 19-year-old survivor, Villanueva said. If it is determined later the survivor’s injury meets the requirements for aggravated battery, the charges could change, he said.
At 4:45 p.m. Oct. 30, sheriff’s deputies responded to the 3800 block of Chelsea Terrace in the Foxberry Trace subdivision, near the intersection of Smith Valley Road and Berry Road, after neighbors reported hearing five or six gunshots, according to a probable cause affidavit filed Thursday in Johnson County Circuit Court.
At the scene, police found three teens in a grey Jeep. One was dead, one had been shot in the leg and one was uninjured, according to court documents. Kashius Davis, 15, of Bargersville, died from multiple gunshot wounds, including one just above his right eye, documents said.
Both survivors identified the shooter as Salatin, documents said.
Johnson County deputies located Salatin quickly, at his home in the 800 block of Lionshead Lane, according to court documents. Deputies arrested him without incident.
The survivors told police they were in the neighborhood because Davis wanted to have a fistfight with Salatin, who they located via social media app Snapchat, documents said. One of the survivors said Davis and Salatin had been arguing about drugs and alleged theft, according to court documents.
When the teens located Salatin, they noticed he had a semi-automatic pistol just before he began shooting multiple times at the vehicle’s passenger side, where Davis and the 19 year old were sitting, court documents said.
The driver drove about 550 feet to the location where deputies found the vehicle. Deputies found eight spent shell casings and broken glass from the vehicle window at the site of the shooting, documents said.
Investigators spoke with Salatin and his parents about the incident. Salatin’s father said his son had left the house, but he wasn’t sure what time.
Salatin told police he was not home at the time of the shooting and did not hear any gunshots because he was listening to music while on a walk in the neighborhood. He later said he had been playing video games all afternoon, according to court documents.
Home security cameras that captured Salatin walking in the neighborhood would place him at the scene of the crime, court documents said.
Investigators searched the house where Salatin lives, but did not find the gun, according to court documents.
Deputies discovered Salatin had several police-related involvements, specifically a prior involvement with a firearm, court documents said.
Salatin is being held at the Johnson County jail without bond.
Villanueva said the incident points to a troubling trend of deadly violence due to personal disagreements.
“More and more frequently you see individuals who resort to acts of violence because of some kind of disagreement with another individual. That kind of response is not acceptable for adults, and becomes even more troubling when you start to see that same pattern of behavior with young people,” Villanueva said in a news release. “We will continue to work closely with the (Johnson County) Sheriff’s Office in a joint effort to hold Salatin accountable and bring justice to a grieving family.”
