Cousin: Man was planning to play video games before ambushing police

JONESBORO, Ga. — A man who was with a teenager right before he was shot and killed by police said his cousin had his mind on returning home to play video games.

Quinton Davenport said he was playing videos with Jalen Ricks, 19, Thursday morning.

The game was interrupted because Ricks had to give his younger brother a ride to Jonesboro High School.

"He was going to drop his brother off and come back and hop on the game," Davenport told Channel 2's Tom Jones.

After Ricks dropped his brother off at school, Clayton County deputies said he drove recklessly in front of the school, putting students' lives in jeopardy.

Officers began chasing Ricks but lost him. Neighbors in a nearby cul-de-sac then called 911 after seeing a suspicious man park, retrieve a shotgun out of his trunk and then hide in the woods.

As officers arrived they said Ricks opened fire on them. They returned fire, killing Ricks.

Davenport doesn't believe his cousin ambushed the officers.

"I know my cousin cause he was my best friend," he said.

Davenport said he is looking for answers as to what happened just like everybody else.

"I don't know what to believe," Davenport said.

He said he knows his cousin wouldn't ambush officers.

There was a huge police presence at Jonesboro High School after deputies said students were posting threats on social media in response to Ricks' death.

Several deputies were on campus grounds all day and after school a police chopper hovered above. Parents picking up their children were a bit alarmed.

"Yeah kind of. But with all these police officers I'm quite sure they got everything under control," parent Willie Bowles said

Deputies also had a police presence at the school Ricks attended, Perry Learning Center. They said they didn't encounter any problems.

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WSBTV