Griffin man shot, killed

A Griffin man was found mortally wounded just after midnight Saturday morning near the intersection of North 9th and West Tinsley streets.Bill Taylor of WKEU identified the man as 19 year old Ivan Matthew Sierra of Kentucky Avenue.Officers found a black male suffering from severe head trauma. Spalding EMS was called to the scene, but the man died before he could be transported to Spalding Regional Hospital.Griffin Police say they believe the shooting stemmed from a fight at a party at a nearby location. Sierra collapsed in the street after fleeing the area of the shooting. Griffin police indicate they have identified a suspect. A firearm was recovered near the scene of the shooting. No shell casings have been recovered. Spalding County Coroner Sonny Foster was also called to the scene and had the body transported to the State Crime Lab in Atlanta in the early morning hours Saturday. Foster said the report from the crime lab indicated Sierra was shot in the back. The incident remains under investigation and more information is expected to bed released by the Griffin Police Department.UPDATE: Capt. Dwayne Jones of the Griffin P.D. has issued a release identifying the murder suspect:On February 2, 2013, at 12:14 a.m. Griffin officers responded to the intersection of North 9th Street and West Tinsley to a report of man down who appeared to have been shot. The responding officers located 19 year old Ivan Matthew Sierra in the roadway, dead of an apparent gunshot wound.Javarious Leondre Verdell, 18 years old, 725 Turner Street, has been identified as the suspect. Warrants for murder and additional charges have been issued for his arrest. Investigators believe that the shooting stemmed from a fight at a nearby party minutes earlier.