A Palmetto man is facing murder charges in the May 2 shooting of 26 year-old Coweta County resident Bradley Alan Mitchum. The early morning shooting occurred along Ridley Road in Coweta County near Palmetto. Mitchum was transported to Atlanta Medical Center where surgery was performed for a gunshot wound to the head. Mitchum died Wednesday.

Ralph Potter, 22, was charged with one count of felony murder and one count of aggravated assault in the incident, according to Coweta Sheriff’s Investigator Alan Dickinson. The shooting was possibly related to a grudge between the two men based on a prior altercation that was alleged to have occurred, Dickinson said.

The shooting occurred as Mitchum was approaching a Ridley Road residence. Dickinson said several shots were fired, one of which one .40 caliber bullet struck Mitchum in the back of the head. Mitchum was airlifted to Atlanta Medical Center where he underwent surgery. Mitchum died the following day.

At the time of the shooting an eyewitness at the scene was thought to have recognized the vehicle from which the shots were fired. The eyewitness was able to provide investigators with a description of the man but was unsure of his name, said Dickinson. Working with Palmetto Police, Coweta investigators were able to idenfity Potter, Dickinson said.

Potter has prior charges in Palmetto and Fairburn. He was arrested in Palmetto in February 2003 for burglary and in April 2006 for discharging a firearm near a city street. Potter was arrested in Fairburn for simple batter and criminal trespass in January 2006 and again in April for disorderly conduct/contempt of court.

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