In the spring of 2022, the life of 8-year-old Jermarrion Cherry was tragically cut short in a senseless act of violence in Warner Robins, Georgia. On the evening of March 25th, Jermarrion, a male student at C.B. Watson Primary School, was sitting in a parked car with other children outside a home on Virginia Dare Drive. An adult who was with them had momentarily stepped away from the vehicle.
It was then that another car drove by, and multiple shots were fired into the vehicle the children occupied.
During the chaos, Jermarrion was struck in the head by a bullet. He was initially rushed to a hospital in Macon before being airlifted to Scottish Rite Children's Hospital in Atlanta. Despite the efforts of medical professionals, he succumbed to his injuries three days later, on March 28, 2022. Reports from his mother indicated that in his final moments, Jermarrion heroically shielded another child from the gunfire.
The investigation into the drive-by shooting led to the arrests of five individuals. Bryce Michael Crosby, 20; Lenny Victor Gupton Jr., 19; Ricky Aubry McChargue, 21; Chase Jeffrey Watson, 20; and Savannah McGahee, 17, were all taken into custody and faced murder charges in connection with the young boy's death. The suspects, at least three of whom had prior criminal records, were held without bond. While a motive for the shooting was not immediately released by investigators, their arrests brought a small measure of progress in the quest for justice for Jermarrion Cherry.
