In a quiet Lawrenceville neighborhood on a Sunday afternoon, the familiar sounds of a basketball game were tragically silenced by the pop of gunfire. On October 2, 2022, 17-year-old Timothy Buchanan was shot and killed while on a basketball court in the Bramlett Shoals subdivision. Responding to a call around 4:00 p.m., Gwinnett County Police officers arrived at Mariray Court to find the young male deceased from an apparent gunshot wound.
Neighbors who heard the shots rushed to the scene in an attempt to help, with one resident calling the police and noting that Buchanan had stopped breathing by the time the call ended. The shooter fled the scene in a reckless manner, running over a stop sign and a mailbox, leaving a shattered windshield in their wake.
The Gwinnett County Police Department's Homicide Unit immediately began an investigation into the broad-daylight killing. While they initially did not have a named suspect, investigators felt they had solid leads and collected video evidence from neighbors. The motive was not immediately clear, though police believed it to be an isolated incident. For weeks, Timothy's family and the community awaited answers, with a local pastor who conducted the teen's funeral speaking out about the tragedy of a young life cut short. The case highlighted a rise in teen homicides in the county, with the Gwinnett County District Attorney noting that many such incidents stemmed from low-level drug deals gone wrong.
Two months after the shooting, a breakthrough in the case came with the arrest of 18-year-old Shamuel Benjamin on November 30, 2022. The Gwinnett County Sheriff's Office took Benjamin into custody, and he was subsequently booked into the county jail. Investigators announced they believed the two teenagers had met to conduct a drug transaction. Benjamin was charged with a slate of serious felonies, including felony murder, aggravated assault, possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony.
