Cortney Lowery Jr., a 21-year-old African American male, tragically lost his life on March 29, 2017, in West Palm Beach, Florida. On that fateful day, Lowery, along with his friends Isaiah Burkett-Hyndman and Abiade Granger, were playing video games in an apartment at Caribbean Villas. Kenneth Hawthorne, who was also present, reportedly left the room and returned with a firearm, opening fire on his friends.
Lowery and Burkett-Hyndman were killed, while Granger survived the attack despite sustaining multiple gunshot wounds.
The incident shocked the community, as there appeared to be no clear motive for the shooting. Hawthorne was arrested the following day and charged with two counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder. Initially, in October 2017, a judge ruled Hawthorne incompetent to stand trial. However, he was later found competent, and in May 2023, he was sentenced to two life sentences for the murders of Lowery and Burkett-Hyndman, along with an additional 25-year sentence for the attempted murder of Granger.
During the trial, it was revealed that the young men were close friends, often spending time together playing video games. On the day of the shooting, they had been playing "Call of Duty" when Hawthorne inexplicably swapped the game and then began his deadly assault. The prosecution presented evidence of the brutal nature of the attack, detailing how Hawthorne shot Lowery five times in the back, Burkett-Hyndman multiple times, and Granger in the head, chest, and stomach. Despite the defense's argument that there was no premeditation or clear motive, the jury found Hawthorne guilty based on the overwhelming evidence and the testimony of Granger, the sole survivor.
The case highlighted the senseless nature of the violence and left the families of the victims devastated. The community mourned the loss of two young lives and grappled with the inexplicable actions of Hawthorne, who had been a friend to the victims. The sentencing brought some measure of justice, but the pain and loss experienced by the families and friends of Cortney Lowery Jr. and Isaiah Burkett-Hyndman remain profound.
