MOULTRIE, Ga. — Two teenage suspects were in custody Wednesday in connection with a Tuesday morning armed robbery in which a third teen was killed in a shootout with a store clerk.

Jaelon Powell, 19, died at about 3:30 a.m. Tuesday after someone had dropped him off at Colquitt Regional Medical Center about an hour earlier. He was left at the emergency room about an hour and 15 minutes after a robbery at the 135 U.S. 319 S. Suzy Q’s convenience store, about a half mile from the hospital.

On Tuesday afternoon, police arrested Joshua Bernard Sims, 18, and 19-year-old Kelvyn Howard, Moultrie Police Department Lt. Freddie Williams said during a Wednesday afternoon news conference.

Both Sims and Howard are charged with felony murder, three counts of aggravated assault and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony.

Howard, who was reportedly driving the car, while Powell and Sims went inside, is charged as being a party to the crimes that resulted in Powell’s death and the wounding of the store clerk who returned fire.

“The offenders did walk in with guns brandished,” Williams said.

Investigators were still trying to confirm certain details, such as who fired first and whether all of the shots that struck Powell were fired by the store employee.

“It’s not 100 percent sure, but it’s likely the rounds the clerk fired were the ones that hit Mr. Powell,” Williams said. “It’s kind of unclear who fired the first shot.”

The store clerk, who has been referred to as a “hero” by many in the community, had the legal right to defend himself due to the circumstances, Williams said. He was treated at Colquitt Regional on Tuesday and released.

Colquitt County Coroner Verlyn Brock said on Tuesday that Powell arrived at the hospital with multiple gunshot wounds.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation has performed an autopsy on Powell’s body, but police did not yet have results of that examination.

Police recovered one gun, which was found in the parking lot. Officers also located the car used in the attempted hold-up, which belongs to a relative of Powell’s.

Williams said police were not giving information about who left Powell at the hospital “at this time.”

The felony murder charge in the case is based on the suspects being engaged in a felony that resulted in Powell’s death. A second employee who was in the store was not injured, nor were Howard or Sims.

The month of December often brings a rash of armed robberies of businesses to the county, with convenience stores being the most frequent target. Indeed, a Colquitt County man was robbed at about 3 p.m. Monday in the parking lot of a Fast Track store outside the city by a suspect who shot himself in the leg a short time after the hold-up.

“We have been a place known for armed robberies around the holidays,” Williams said. “It’s not a secret. Mr. Powell, unfortunately, lost his life.”

Tuesday’s events may help to give pause to those contemplating a holiday hold-up.

“I think it will act as a deterrent,” Williams said.