A man died near the Wesleyan neighborhood off Boogers Hill Road Thursday evening, after what the Newton County Sheriff’s Office (NCSO) said was a fight resulting in a stabbing.

The Newton County Sheriff’s Office received a call from 332 Boogers Hill Road around 8:30 p.m. in reference to a person being stabbed in front of the Weslyan Subdivision.

Upon arrival deputies located 18-year-old Markice Samuel Harris, of Oxford, just outside the Weslyan front gate, fatally stabbed, according to NCSO Sgt. Cortney Morrison.

“It appeared that Markice Samuel Harris was stabbed multiple times,” Morrison said in a news release.

Deputies located the alleged perpetrator, identified as 16-year-old Quran Ali Knighton, of Oxford, as well as a female witness, at 332 Boogers Hill Road.

Evidence was collected by the Criminal Investigation Division and Crime Scene Unit placing probable cause to charge Knighton with murder. Though Knighton is a juvenile, he will be charged as an adult due to the murder charge.

According to a NCSO news release, Harris and Knighton were acquaintances and had no relation to the female witness. According to NCSO investigators, Harris and Knighton had an ongoing argument about damaged property and agreed to meet up and settle it at the entrance of the Weslyan Subdivision.

“A physical altercation ensued which resulted in Markice Samuel Harris being fatally wounded,” Morrison said in the release.

The Rockdale County Sheriff’s Office assisted with their K-9s to locate any evidence that could not be seen in the darkness of the evening.

The case is still under investigation, and anyone with any information is asked to contact the NCSO at 678-625-1400 or by leaving an anonymous tip at newtonsheriffga.org.