In a tragic and violent series of events, 38-year-old Keashawn Washington of Covington, Georgia, was killed on June 11, 2022. Her life was cut short when she was fatally shot by Darian Javaris Bennett, the 38-year-old father of her one-year-old daughter, Jaquari. The violence erupted at Ms. Washington's home on Chandler Field Drive, where her mother, 63-year-old Peggy Burns, was also shot and critically injured. Two other children in the home, who were not related to Bennett, were unharmed.
Following the shooting, Bennett kidnapped his infant daughter, Jaquari, prompting an Amber Alert. The search for the missing child and her armed father came to a devastating conclusion the next morning. Authorities tracked Bennett to a wooded area behind a church in Riverdale. As officers approached, they heard gunshots. They soon discovered the bodies of both Jaquari and Darian Bennett in what was determined to be a murder-suicide.
Investigations revealed a history of domestic issues. Months prior to the fatal incident, Bennett had been arrested for making terroristic threats and harassing phone calls against Washington. A condition of his bond was to have no contact with her. Tragically, this legal measure did not prevent the final, horrific outcome. The community was left to mourn the loss of a mother and her young child, a stark reminder of the devastating impact of domestic violence.
