Bulloch County Sheriff’s Office Capt. Todd Hutchens said the Statesboro man who is accused of shooting Dolan Blanchard to death on July 17 was “part of a (video) gaming community” along with the victim, and that’s how the two came to know each other.

During a press conference Monday at the sheriff’s office, Hutchens and Sheriff Noel Brown offered a few more details about the incident that left Blanchard, 21, dead and John Morris, 19, facing three charges of murder, aggravated assault, second-degree arson and possession of a gun during commission of or attempt to commit certain felonies.

On July 17, deputies responded to a report of a man lying in Maria Sorrell Road shortly after 1:30 a.m. The victim, later identified as Blanchard, had sustained gunshot wounds and was critically injured. Blanchard received first aid measures from deputies at the scene, but he died before Emergency Medical Services arrived.

“I don’t know if we’ll ever be satisfied to give closure to the (Blanchard) family over this horrific incident that took place,” Brown said. “But I will say this, the men and women of this office will always give all we got to get those answers and closure.

“It’s not going to change the outcome. We still have a loss of life. And the family will always have to live with that. And a young man in jail now that has lost his life and very likely will spend the rest of his days there.”

Through interviews, Hutchens said investigators were able to determine Morris and Blanchard became acquainted while playing video games online.

“The victim, aged 21, and the offender, aged 19, were part of a gaming community,” Hutchens said. “They played Xbox games. If you’re familiar with the gaming community, basically those folks play with people all over the nation, all over the world that they connect with. It just so happens that our offender here and the victim (who is from Sylvania) knew each other through that method.”

Hutchens would not speculate on what led to the violent encounter and said he would not answer any questions about motive “because that is still under investigation and has not been established.”

Hutchens said Morris and Blanchard “consistently talked to each other” while gaming, but how or if that may have led to the shooting is under investigation.

“We’re still doing a lot of interviews,” Hutchens said. “If anyone has any information about the incident or what led up to the incident, please contact us.”

Also, a nearby vehicle fire July 17 was found to be connected to the shooting, Hutchens said. A short time after deputies responded to Maria Sorrell Road, officers received a report of a vehicle fire not far from where Blanchard was found. Firefighters responded and extinguished the flames.

Hutchens said the vehicle was owned by Blanchard’s mother and driven to the scene of the shooting incident by the victim. Morris is charged with second-degree arson, and Hutchens said investigators believe he drove the car to another location and set it on fire in hopes of distracting law enforcement from the crime scene.

Brown said he was “thankful for all the hard work that went into bringing Morris to justice. Investigators have worked tirelessly to solve this case since the night of the incident.”

Morris is being held at the Bulloch County Jail pending further court action.

Anyone with additional information about the incident is asked to contact Investigator Reid Odom at (912) 764-1785.