In the late afternoon of Sunday, February 20, 2022, the quiet of a Richmond Hill, Georgia neighborhood was shattered by the sound of gunfire. At approximately 2:45 p.m., emergency services received a 911 call reporting that shots had been fired and a man was down on Laurel Hill Circle. When officers from the Richmond Hill Police Department arrived at the scene, they found 19-year-old Jabez Ali McNair, a Black male, suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. Despite the immediate medical aid rendered, McNair was pronounced dead at the residence. The responding officers took a suspect into custody at the scene.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation was called in to lead the inquiry into the death of Jabez McNair. Investigators identified the suspect as 36-year-old Eric Montrell Wright. Further investigation revealed that both McNair and Wright resided at the home where the fatal shooting occurred. It was determined that McNair was in a relationship with Wright's daughter. Following his arrest by the Richmond Hill Police Department, Eric Montrell Wright was charged with murder in connection with McNair's death.
As the investigation continued, authorities confirmed that the case would be handed over to the Atlantic Circuit District Attorney's Office for prosecution. The body of Jabez McNair was transported to the Coastal Crime Lab in Pooler for an autopsy to formally determine the cause of death. The investigation by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation remains active and ongoing.
