A basketball player died in a drug deal gone bad, and there’s now a twist to  the sad case

A self-defense claim, and now two arrests.

 

Back in January, on New Year's Day, Jayquon Johnson, a 17-year-old Florida basketball player, was shot and killed by another teen. Now, The Tampa Times, citing a just-released police report, has filled in the details of the case that includes a mother and son being charged in the case.

Police say Johnson and another youth went to the home of Cody Quinn, 16, to buy marijuana.

Quinn told investigators Johnson contacted him about buying marijuana, but he was nervous because he didn't know him, so he purchased a firearm.

When the teenagers went into Quinn's garage to weigh out the drugs, Johnson pulled out a firearm in a theft attempt, the report said. Quinn told authorities he fired in self-defense..

When Quinn's mother, Heidi, heard the gunshot, she ran to the garage and saw Johnson laying on the floor and dying, according to the report. The Times, citing those police reports, said the 51-year-old Heidi Quinn took both guns and buried them in the backyard. But she apparently had second thoughts and unearthed them, and put them back where she found them. But deputies became suspicious because the weapons were covered in dirt.

Authorities obtained a search warrant and said they found five dozen oxycodone pills, three marijuana grinders, a digital scale and a box of small bags.

Cody Quinn won't be charged in Johnson's death because authorities said there's not enough evidence to counter his self-defense claim. But he and his mother face a raft of other charges.

The younger Quinn was arrested in suspicion of possession of marijuana and oxycodone with intent to sell - both felonies — unlawful possession of a firearm and drug paraphernalia, both misdemeanors. His mother faces two felony counts of tampering with physical evidence, the Times said.

Johnson, a 6-foot-10 sophomore, was already being recruited to play in college, according to a report from WFTS-TV.