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The Andalusia Police Department has charged a local teen with murder in the Tuesday death of a teenage girl, and expects to also charge others in the crime.

Chief Paul Hudson said Damien Beasley, 17, of Andalusia, is being charged as an adult in the death. He is charged with murder and is being held on a $1 million bond. Murder is a Class A felony, which in Alabama allows police to charge him as an adult.

Hudson said additional charges are pending against Beasley. The investigation is ongoing, he said, and additional arrests are forthcoming.

The investigation began on Tuesday, April 6, when the APD received information about a possible homicide on Whatley Street. When officers responded to the scene, they began searching the area around a residence and located biological and physical evidence.

This search led to an expanded search in which officers located the body of a white female who was later determined to be a juvenile. Her name is being withheld at the request of her family.

An autopsy conducted by the Department of Forensic Sciences confirmed the young woman’s death was the result of a single gunshot wound. Hudson said officers have recovered a weapon believed to have been used in the murder.

The Andalusia Police Department expressed its appreciation to the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, SBI, the Covington County Drug Task Force, and the Covington County District Attorney’s office for its assistance in the investigation.