Bibb County District Attorney David Cooke believes the murder at Jaffary Food Court on Anthony Road back in April is connected to the illegal use of gambling machines inside of the store.
"Marlon Williams was inside the Jaffary Food Court on Anthony Road on April 14th, 2018, when a robber came in. Williams was fatally shot as he ran away," Cooke said.
Cooke says that murder is an example of how illegal gambling at stores breeds crimes.
"In Macon-Bibb County, there have been at least two murders that have a relationship to gambling machines. One of the murders has a link to the store included in this lawsuit," Cooke said.
Sherod Groze has lived near the Jaffary Food Court for two years and went to the store regularly.
"I used to come over there and buy cigarettes and stuff. I also used to play the machines," Groze said.
He said it's no surprise to hear that Cooke is connecting gambling to crime.
"It's almost like easy money. When people come in there and they pull out their money and stuff, so that gives people a real easy catch or real easy jump on to take something from them while they gambling," Groze said.
According to Cooke's lawsuit against the store owners, each gambling machine brings in nearly $300 a day in cash.
"These machines have revenue of hundreds of millions of dollars every year just in Macon," Cooke said.
He says that makes them a target for armed robbers.
"Businesses that operate in illegal enterprise that pays out and collects a large amount of cash are targets for armed robbery which often times lead to murder. We've had that on Anthony Road, Vineville Avenue, and I believe another on Napier," Cooke said.
It says the criminal organization based in the Atlanta area had a net profit of about $19 million last year from illegal gambling.