Two more people have been charged in connection with the shooting death of a Syracuse man outside an Auburn bar last month.
The Citizen quotes acting District Attorney Brittany Grome Antonacci as saying 40-year-old Adrian Agee and 35-year-old Junnell Copes, both of Auburn, face charges in the March 15 shooting of 37-year-old John Wesley Smith III of Syracuse, whose body was found outside Swifty’s Tavern on Perrine St. in the early morning hours of March 15. 28-year-old Shameek Marie Copes of Auburn was previously arrested after turning herself in to police in South Carolina after a warrant was issued for her arrest on second-degree murder charges. Copes is believed to be the only suspect who fired a shot that night.
In a news release Wednesday, Grome Antonacci said Agee rendered criminal assistance “by providing her with transportation from the scene of the homicide and concealed the firearm used to commit the murder by discarding the firearm in a storm sewer.”
Junnell Copes, who police believe is a cousin of Shameek Marie Copes is charged with criminal possession of a weapon for allegedly possessing a .45 caliber pistol. That gun is not believed to be the one used in the shooting. Junnell Copes was released from prison in November, 2021 after serving a sentence for felony possession of stolen property. He was also convicted of robbery in 2004.
Shameek Copes remains in custody in South Carolina, awaiting extradition.
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