A Tulane University basketball player who recently declared for the NBA draft has been charged with murder and other counts in a Georgia homicide.
Teshaun Hightower, who led the Green Wave in scoring last season, was booked into jail on Saturday on multiple charges, including murder and aggravated assault. He was one of six people wanted in connection with an 8 April homicide in Stockbridge, Georgia, Henry County police said. A police spokesman told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that the victim, Devante Anthony Long, died from gunshot wounds after he was taken to a hospital.
Teshaun Hightower
(@TeshaunTh)God protect my people 🙏🏾
Five of the six men are now in police custody, including Hightower’s brother, Jeffrey. On the day of the shooting, Teshaun Hightower posted a tweet that said “God protect my people.”
Tulane “immediately dismissed” Hightower from the basketball program after learning about his arrest.
Hightower, 22, said he was entering the NBA draft pool on 18 April, just 10 days after Long’s death. In his announcement on Twitter, the guard noted he planned to maintain the option of returning to school with a year of eligibility left.
Hightower, of Lithonia, Georgia, averaged 15.9 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game during the 2019-20 season, his only one at Tulane. He played the previous two seasons at Georgia before transferring.