In the early morning hours of September 8, 2022, a simple mistake over a food delivery order led to the tragic death of 20-year-old Fernando Treyjuan Solomon in Conyers, Georgia. An African American male, Solomon had placed an order through DoorDash which was mistakenly delivered to a neighboring apartment at the Tall Oaks complex. When he went to retrieve his food, a fatal encounter unfolded. The Rockdale County Sheriff's Office responded to a call about a shooting at approximately 1:11 a.m. Upon arrival, deputies discovered Solomon on the ground with multiple gunshot wounds. Despite the immediate medical aid rendered by the deputies and the subsequent efforts of paramedics, he succumbed to his injuries at the scene.
The resident of the apartment where the food was wrongly delivered was 22-year-old Zaire Cortell Watson. According to reports, Watson's father, who was not at home, saw Solomon at their door via a Ring camera and alerted his son. Watson confronted Solomon, and in a statement to law enforcement, claimed he saw Solomon reach into his pocket and, believing he was a threat, shot him. This tragic misunderstanding, captured in part by the home's security camera, escalated from a simple food delivery mix-up to a homicide. The victim's father arrived home to the devastating scene of his son having been shot.
Following the incident, Zaire Cortell Watson was arrested by the Rockdale County Sheriff's Office. He was subsequently charged with murder, aggravated assault, and felony murder in connection with the shooting death of Fernando Solomon. Watson was booked into the Rockdale County Jail. The case has since been moving through the legal system, with the investigation shedding light on the unfortunate and seemingly avoidable circumstances that led to the untimely death of the young man.
