Man arrested in shooting death of Dayton Dunbar student

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Dayton police have arrested a man in the fatal shooting of a Dunbar high school student.

The suspect, an 18-year-old man police declined to identify because he has not been formally charged, was arrested Wednesday in the death of Qua’Lek Shelton, 15, Dayton police Lt. Jason Hall said.

“(The suspect) was brought into the safety building and interviewed. After that interview, he was incarcerated in the Montgomery County Jail,” Hall said.

Though police won’t release the identity, Jackeem Alexander Collins, 18, was booked into the Montgomery County Jail just before 5 p.m. Wednesday on murder and felonious assault, according to jail records. He had not been formally charged as of Thursday.

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Dayton police have been investigating the case since Shelton and a 16-year-old boy were shot on Feb. 16 during a drive-by in the 2400 block of Catalpa Drive.

Shelton died a few days later. The 16-year-old was listed in good condition.

Jackeem Collins / Photo courtesy Miami Valley Jails

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Shelton was a freshman at Paul Laurence Dunbar Early College High School and was on the football and track and field teams. He was remembered by friends and coaches as a confident teen who was destined for greatness running track.

“He was small in stature but huge in confidence and determination,” Dunbar assistant track coach Alferd Powell told the Dayton Daily News.

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“He had a gift and he knew he had a gift, and he talked in grandiose terms,” Powell said. “He would tell you he would run in the Olympics. He would tell you that he would run a certain time, and he was always correct. It was just exciting that we would be working with this young man, and this is lost and it’s devastating.”

Hall said the suspect was in a car during the shooting. He said authorities are not looking for other suspects in the case, but did say others also could be charged.

“I can say there were other people, we are working with the prosecutor’s office to determine what other charges,” Hall said.

He said the investigation is ongoing.

“Just because we have our suspect in custody, there is still additional evidence that needs to be gathered and we need to speak with other witnesses,” Hall said, adding that a weapon has not been recovered in the case

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