An arrest has been made in the murder of a prominent Georgia businessman, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.
Jack Hough, 73, was fatally shot in the parking lot of a Gainesville CVS Thursday evening while his wife went inside the store to pick up a prescription. The shooting prompted an intense manhunt for the suspect, including the use of K-9 units and a helicopter.
On Sunday, police announced they arrested 24-year-old Demarvin Bennett around 2 a.m. in connection with another shooting in East Point, Georgia, a suburb of Atlanta that is about 60 miles south of Gainesville. Parrish said Bennett and his girlfriend had recently moved to Gainesville to find work and a place to live, but they returned to East Point after the shooting.
Forensic evidence left at the scene connected Bennett to the crime, Parrish said.
#BREAKING: We just received this mugshot of 24-year-old DeMarvin Bennett, who was arrested in the shooting death of well-known businessman outside CVS.
How police tracked him down, on Channel 2 Action News at Noon. https://t.co/UCK93RMuTt pic.twitter.com/ZY1hBZ3KGe
— WSB-TV (@wsbtv) February 10, 2019
Authorities believe Hough was sitting inside his Mercedes when Bennett approached him as part of an attempted robbery or carjacking. A struggle ensued and Hough was then shot twice in the chest. He was rushed to a hospital and later died.
Witnesses said the perpetrator was wearing all black and a mask; he was reportedly wandering the store’s parking lot before the encounter.
Bennett has a criminal record, although he has no ties to any recent crimes in the area, according to Gainesville Police Chief Jay Parrish. Bennett is cooperating with investigators and police have recovered what they believe is the murder weapon, Parrish said at Sunday morning news conference.
Parrish said the arrest will hopefully bring relief to the victim’s family.
“It just takes that cloud off of them as they begin their own healing process,” Parrish said.
@COGPolice announce arrest of suspect in the murder of prominent business man in Gainesville. Demarvin Bennett, 24, was arrested overnight. #11Alive pic.twitter.com/GIvulqpaf2
— Nick Sturdivant (@N_SturdivantTV) February 10, 2019
Bennett is being held in the Hall County Jail.
[Feature Photo: Jack Hough/Facebook;]