'Too young, too soon': Family, friends search for answers

AUBURN -- As friends and family gathered at the Opelika home of Mario and Arlicia Mitchell, a father was struggling for answers as to why he won't see his son alive again.

Jakell Mitchell, a freshman member of Auburn's football team, was shot and killed at a party at an apartment complex near the Auburn University campus early Sunday morning.

"That's not a place I wouldn't have told him that he could go," Mario Mitchell said. "He goes to school there. I mean (a party?) That's the college life. The guys there weren't in college.

"There's nothing I would've told him to do different. What I told him to do was not hang out (in Opelika); he was at Auburn. I told him to stay out of Opelika. So he was doing exactly what I told him to do."

Mitchell, 18, was gunned down after what police believe was a "verbal altercation," which escalated into tragedy at the same apartment complex where two former Auburn football players lost their lives in a June 2012 shooting.

Auburn Police responded to a call of shots fired at the at approximately 12:25 a.m. Sunday at the Tiger Lodge at Auburn apartment complex on West Longleaf Drive.

Mitchell was a passenger in a vehicle contacted leaving the area and was suffering from multiple gunshot wounds, according to police. He was rushed to East Alabama Medical Center and died after his arrival, according to the Lee County Coroner's Office. An autopsy will be conducted in Montgomery.

"I'm devastated and saddened by the passing of Jakell Mitchell," Auburn coach Gus Malzahn said in a statement. "My thoughts and prayers are with Jakell's family and friends, who are suffering through this senseless tragedy. I know the Auburn Family is hurting, especially our players and coaches, and we are going to love and support them through this difficult time. We have lost a member of our family too young, too soon."

Markale Hart, 22, of Camp Hill was arrested by authorities from the Auburn Police, Tallapoosa County Sheriff and Jackson Gap Police at 10:45 a.m. Sunday in Dadeville and charged him with felony murder.

He was transported to the Lee County jail and will be eligible for a $150,000 bond. A date for Hart's arraignment has not yet been set, according to Auburn Police chief Paul Register.

The case remains under investigation, though police do not anticipate any additional arrests.

Hart has a criminal past, with a pair of felony arrests for marijuana possession and burglary dating back to Sept. 2010. He pleaded guilty to misdemeanors in both cases.

Formerly of nearby Opelika High School, Mitchell missed his senior season in 2013 recovering from an ACL injury.

Opelika coach Brian Blackmon was told of the tragic news around 2:30 a.m. Sunday and visited Mitchell's mother, Arlicia.

"It's a really sad place and a lot of hurt," Blackmon said. "A lot of unanswered questions. I think any time you lose a kid that's got such a bright future, it's just unimaginable, the grief that you go through."

Mitchell. a tight end/H-back, redshirted this season in order to gain weight and was expected to play a bigger role next season following the departures of C.J. Uzomah and Brandon Fulse.

"He's a guy we identified when he was a junior; he runs a very similar offense," Malzahn said of Mitchell on National Signing Day this past February. "He can block, he can catch, he's got a little bit of running back skills. He played a bit of wildcat when he was a junior and then hurt his knee. We feel the sky is the limit for this guy."

Mitchell rushed for 392 yards and 17 touchdowns and had 403 receiving yards as a junior in 2012.

Teammates and coaches reacted to the devastating news via social media.

Backup quarterback Jeremy Johnson visited the complex on Sunday.

"I couldn't believe it," Johnson told the Associated Press. "Jakell was a real good kid."

A candlelight vigil is planned for 6 p.m. Monday in downtown Opelika.

"Our thoughts and prayers go out to Jakell Mitchell's family and those who have been impacted by this terrible tragedy," Auburn athletic director Jay Jacobs said in a statement. "This is a very trying time for those close to Jakell, including the student-athletes, coaches, staff and Auburn Family. We will provide counseling and support and do everything we can to help them through the grieving process."

Sunday's shooting occurred at the same apartment complex Desmonte Leonard shot and killed three men, including former Auburn players Ed Christian and Ladarious Phillips, in June 2012. Leonard was convicted of capital murder, attempted murder and assault in October and will be sentenced in January.

The apartment complex issued a statement via its Facebook page Sunday afternoon expressing sympathy and telling residents their safety is of the "utmost importance" to the community.

"We are cooperating fully with police as they investigate this matter," the statement read. "Your well being is of utmost importance to us. A courtesy officer lives onsite and is available to you 24/7. We also have a security officer onsite in the evenings."

Albert Cesare contributed to this story.