Atlanta police have arrested a man in the killing of former boxing champion O’Neil “Supernova” Bell as he stepped off a Marta bus last month.
Police arrested Tycorion Davis, 18, and charged him with armed robbery.
Bell was shot once in the upper torso and robbed as he stepped off a Marta bus on the southeast side of Atlanta on Nov. 25.
Another man who was dressed as a woman was shot in the right hip as he got off the same bus. He was treated at Grady Hospital and released. Neither victim knew the other.
Police say the gunman got into a car with 3 men and fled the scene. 2 other men are being sought by police.
“It was a crime of opportunity,” said Lt. Charles Hampton. “Unfortunately for these victims, (the robbers) saw an opportunity and took it.”
A CrimeStoppers tip led police to Davis who has been cooperative.
“He’s helped us out,” Hampton told Channel 2 Action News. “He’s helped fill in some pieces.”
Detectives now have leads on the other 2 suspects, the lieutenant said.
Bell had a record of 26 wins and 3 losses in his 23-year boxing career that ended in 2011.
“He was the love of my life,” Bell’s mother, Norma Bell, told Channel 2 Action News.
Bell’s death is similar to former world champion boxer Vernon Forrest who was also killed during an attempted robbery in Atlanta in 2009.
Forrest was putting air in the tires of his Jaguar at a gas station when a man approached and tried to rob him at gunpoint.
Forrest, who was also armed, chased the gunman for several blocks. The robber turned a corner and Forrest lost him.
Forrest was walking back to the gas station when the gunman’s accomplice drove up and shot him.
Forrest’s 11-year-old godson was with him at the convenience store at the time of the attempted robbery.
Demario Ware was arrested in Forrest’s murder and later sentenced to life in prison in 2011.
