A Lubbock Teen Has Been Tied to the Death of Christopher Jolly

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Eighteen-year-old Latravian Brantley of Lubbock, Texas was arrested on Wednesday, June 30th after it's said he was connected to a gang-related shooting that happened in February 2021.

Reports say that 19-year-old James Childress was in a white Impala with Brantley when they approached an unidentified suspect near the northwest entrance to the South Plains Mall. At some point, it's said the suspect produced a handgun and opened fire. Brantley and Childress returned fire before driving off.

KAMC News reports that this shooting was connected to the death of Christopher Jolly back in May 2020.

On that day, police were called to the 2600 block of East Baylor Street where they found Jolly on the ground bleeding out. He was transported to University Medical Center where he later died from his injuries.

Childress' mother said that his best friend was Jolly, and that the shooting at the South Plains Mall may have been gang-related.

In March of 2021, a Lubbock County Sheriff's Deputy initiated a traffic stop and located Brantley as the passenger in the vehicle. He was then arrested in connection to the mall shooting, but is said to have refused to cooperate with investigators.

Later that month, Childress gave investigator's Brantley's name.

Brantley was arrested on Wednesday, June 30th, 2021. It wasn't made immediately clear what led to the arrest. He was charged with deadly conduct with a firearm and remains in the Lubbock County Detention Center.