A fourth suspect was taken into custody in Mexico City for the July murder of a 19-year-old Oconee County resident. Dallas McCabe is now in the Oconee County Jail after being extradited over the weekend from Mexico.

“He ran. He did a pretty good job of hiding. Nonetheless, he’s on his way to our jail,” the Oconee County Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post.

In July, Joseph Jackson was fatally shot in the chest outside his home off Whippoorwill Road and Cumberland Drive. Investigators believe that the death possibly occurred as a result of a drug-related incident, according to the Oconee County Sheriff’s Office.

“We know that three people came from Athens with the purported purpose of delivering some marijuana to the victim in this case. And instead of delivering the marijuana, they took the money and shot and killed him. And we’re just not gonna have that,” Oconee County Sheriff Scott Berry said.

On Oct. 18, the Oconee County Sheriff’s Office announced on Facebook the fourth and alleged final suspect had been captured.

McCabe fled to Alabama for a short time to be with his grandparents, then continued on his way to Juarez, Mexico, Investigator Justin Cash said.

McCabe’s final destination, where he was found, was Mexico City. He was living in an apartment and was apprehended while he was en route to a local store. He then proceeded to run into a Walmart and was captured by local officials, according to Oconee County Sheriff Scott Berry.

The next step for the Oconee County Sheriff’s Office is to formalize their paperwork and evidence to present to the District Attorney’s Office. Later, the office could present a case to a grand jury for indictment. This process is expected to take place within the next few weeks, according to Cash.

Three other suspects have been charged in this murder case, including Quintin Dunston, Akhemu Dunston and Ryan Timothy O’Neal. Authorities have not yet identified which of the four suspects they believe were the one who fired the fatal shot that killed the victim.

In turn, this case caused fundamental changes in the structure of the Sheriff’s Office due to the Northeast Georgia Safe Streets Task Force. Now, the Oconee County Sheriff’s office has one deputy assigned full time and one part time to the Safe Streets Task Force, according to the Oconee County Sheriff’s Office.

“We needed to extend our reach into criminal street gangs and other investigations that touch on our county and our citizens. We feel our partnership will benefit both long- and short-term investigations into violent street gangs and keep our community safer,” said Berry.

Skylar Nicholson is a senior majoring in journalism in the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication and in political science in the School of Public and International Affairs.