After the April 8 incident that resulted in the deaths of Roy McClendon-Thompson and James Curtis Jones, information about McClendon-Thompson continues to become public.
The morning of April 8, Dunwoody Police Department received several calls about screaming and shots fired from Arrive Apartments residents, 2000 Asbury Square in Dunwoody, around 5:20 a.m.
Upon arrival, officers found 45-year-old apartment resident Jones in the complex’s parking deck with several gunshot wounds to the chest. Officers and paramedics attempted to resuscitate onsite but Jones died from his injuries.
Dunwoody Police Department and the DeKalb County Police Department looked for 42-year-old suspect McClendon-Thompson at his home in Ellenwood. The suspect fled from officers in a vehicle and officers chased the suspect into Clayton County.
McClendon-Thompson hit a dump truck head-on and died from his injuries around noon at the intersection of Anvil Block Road and Bouldercrest Road, according to Dunwoody Police. Dunwoody police are investigating the events that led to the fatal shooting; The Georgia State Patrol is investigating the Clayton County crash.
Jones and McClendon-Thompson became romantically involved after meeting online in November, although McClendon-Thompson was married. Jones called the police April 6 to report threatening text messages allegedly from McClendon-Thompson. The incident started from accusations of cheating, according to Dunwoody Police Sgt. Robert Parsons.
“That’s a totally different person from who I know,” said Janovian Frye, an associate of McClendon-Thompson. “At first I couldn’t believe it. He was always cool… I felt confused, distraught a little because it was as if someone else was him. That definitely was not Roy.”
McClendon-Thompson was a social studies teacher at DeKalb County School District’s (DCSD) McNair High School.
DCSD officials told The Champion Newspaper that the district did not have a statement on the incident. However, a district spokesperson said a procedure that includes grief counseling for the students and staff was followed. A letter was also sent home to district parents.
After McClendon-Thompson allegedly shot Jones April 8, DCSD said the teacher requested a substitute teacher for his class at 6:23 a.m., according to Atlanta Journal Constitution.
This was approximately one hour after Jones was shot.
According to the Atlanta Journal Constitution, McClendon-Thompson in March was accused of embezzling $103,843.30 from Tabernacle Baptist Church in Atlanta, where he served as chief financial officer. From November 2015 to April 2018, McClendon-Thompson allegedly moved funds from the church account into his personal account, the church’s secretary reported to Fulton County Police, according to the Atlanta Journal Constitution.
The teacher was arrested and put into Fulton County Jail March 21 and was released March 23 on a $15,000 bond. McClendon-Thompson was able return to work March 27, according to the Atlanta Journal Constitution.
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