Former Georgia player and Tulane basketball star arrested, charged with murder

@MaggieDavisKSR

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Tulane guard Teshaun Hightower was arrested Saturday night and charged with murder in connection with a homicide committed in Stockbridge, Georgia on April 8, 2020. He is charged with felony murder, aggravated assault, battery and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony.

Hightower declared for the NBA Draft earlier this month with plans to maintain his final year of collegiate eligibility. As of Sunday, he was being held in the Henry County Jail in Georgia without bail, and Tulane has dismissed him from the basketball team.

Tulane has dismissed Teshaun Hightower from its basketball program, per release.

Hightower was charged with murder in connection with a homicide that occurred earlier this month in Georgia.

— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) April 26, 2020

Officers responded to a call about a person that had been shot just before 11 a.m. that Saturday morning. The victim, Devante Anthony Long, died of his injuries at the hospital. He was 24.

According to a Facebook post by the Henry County Police Department, Hightower is one of six men who were subjects in the homicide investigation. Five of the men were in custody on Sunday, including Hightower and his brother, Jeffery. One man still hadn’t been arrested, according to jail records obtained by ESPN.

The 6-foot-5 junior was Tulane’s leading scorer last season, averaging 15.9 points and 4.6 rebounds in his only season with the Green Wave. He spent the previous two seasons playing for the University of Georgia, where he averaged 5.1 points and 1.7 rebounds in 27 games with the Bulldogs.

He played Kentucky three times during his time at UGA – he saw five minutes of action but recorded zero points inside Rupp Arena on Dec. 31, 2017, and he scored two points (both from free throws) in 18 minutes during the 2017-18 SEC Tournament quarterfinals. The following season, Hightower recorded five points in 23 minutes of playing time in Georgia’s Jan. 15 home loss against the Wildcats.

Hightower declared for the NBA Draft on April 18, ten days after the alleged murder took place.

https://twitter.com/TeshaunTh/status/1251680651239018497

Hightower was scheduled to appear in court Sunday morning. A Henry County Police Department spokesman was not immediately available for comment, according to ESPN.

[ESPN]