Suspect arrested in cab driver fatal shooting

DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — Police have made an arrest in the fatal shooting of a cab driver found in an Avondale Estates apartment complex Friday morning.

Friday night, Pharoh Yneik Swindle, 19, was arrested in Clayton County in connection with the driver's murder, according to a release from Clayton County Sheriff Victor Hill. Police said Yneik confessed to the robbery and shooting death of Dedrick Darcelin, a driver for the Checker Cab Company.

DeKalb police officials planned a news conference Saturday afternoon to discuss details of the arrest.

Police said residents reported hearing gunfire before Darcelin, 42, was found slumped over the wheel at the Oak Creek apartments, in the 200 block of Northern Avenue. The shooting happened about 2:30 a.m.

“It was later determined the driver suffered from a fatal gunshot injury,” said DeKalb police spokeswoman Mekka Parish. “He was pronounced dead at the scene.”

Colleagues of the victim are struggling to cope with the loss.

"Dedrick Darcelin has been associated with our company for about six years and was a very good cab driver, a genuine, nice guy and extended family of the Atlanta Checker Cab Company. Our prayers go out to him and his family," said Atlanta Checker Cab owner Rick Hewatt.

Atlanta Checker Cab had a $2,000 reward for the capture and prosecution of the shooter in this incident.

Detectives are now looking at other crimes Swindle may be responsible for in DeKalb and in the city of Atlanta. They’ve already contacted Atlanta police, who are working a number of high-profile armed robberies, shootings, and a murder from the last couple of weeks.

Most of the crimes have centered around neighborhoods in East Atlanta that are very close to the Auburn Avenue area where the cab ride began Friday. It’s also an area DeKalb police say Swindle is connected to.

WSBTV