A popular DeKalb County high school teacher died in a car crash hours after fatally shooting his lover. Channel 2‘s Christian Jennings reports that Roy McClendon-Thompson (pictured) died in a crash following a police chase in Clayton County on Monday.
McClendon-Thompson, 42, fatally shot his 45-year-old lover James Curtis Jones at the Arrive Perimeter apartment complex early Monday. He led police on a chase that ended when his car collided with a dump truck later that day.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports Jones called police early Saturday to report McClendon-Thompson had threatened him and said he was going to “f— his sh-t up.” Police took statements from both men. McClendon-Thompson denied threatening Jones.
McClendon-Thompson told the officer he found out Jones cheated on him, so he blocked Jones’ number in his cell phone, the police report states.
Jones continued to email McClendon-Thompson, although he declined to show the officer the emails he sent. Jones got defensive and was upset that the officer believed McClendon-Thompson’s side.
In his report, the officer stated he didn’t find any threatening messages on Jones’ cell phone. “We could find no evidence of a crime,” the officer wrote. Jones told the officer that McClendon-Thompson was “mental” and that he was scared he would come to his home.
As the officer prepared to leave Jones’ apartment, McClendon-Thompson called the officer and told him he had just received another email from Jones. The officer advised Jones to end all communications with McClendon-Thompson.
McClendon-Thompson told police he and Jones met on the homosexual dating website Jack’d and began dating off and on in November.
A friend told McClendon-Thompson about a new man he’d met on Jack’d. When the friend showed McClendon-Thompson a photo of his new man, the picture was of Jones, according to the AJC.
Shortly after 5 a.m. Monday, McClendon-Thompson drove to the Arrive Perimeter apartment complex, where Jones lived.
Callers to 911 reported hearing screams and gunshots.
Jones was shot to death around 5:20 a.m. in the underground parking deck of the apartment complex. Police say he was shot multiple times in the chest and died from his wounds.
The police investigation at the crime scene continued until 11 a.m. at the luxury apartments located across the street from the upscale Perimeter shopping Mall in Dunwoody, GA, a suburb of Atlanta.
When detectives went to McClendon-Thompson’s Ellenwood home to interview him, he fled in his Cadillac and led them on a chase that ended when he collided into a dump truck in Clayton County. A witness said the Cadillac flipped. McClendon-Thompson died in the crash. The witness captured photos of the crash aftermath on his cell phone.
According to Dunwoody Police, McClendon-Thompson was a popular social studies teacher at McNair High School in DeKalb Co. He was also on the Principal Advisory Council at the school.
McNair High School sent letters home to parents informing them of the teacher’s death on Monday. Grief counselors were at the school on Tuesday to speak with students and staff.
“Let’s encourage one another and keep the family in our thoughts and prayers during this difficult time,” the letter read in part.
