In the quiet moments of a late December evening in 2021, a tragedy unfolded at a QuikTrip gas station on Riverdale Road near College Park, Georgia, that would claim the life of a 26-year-old woman. Whitney Breanna Sloan, a female described by her family as a lovable person with a desire to help others, was fatally shot on or around December 27th while she was pumping gas.
The incident, which happened at approximately 10:30 p.m., sent shockwaves through the community and left her family searching for answers.
Surveillance footage from the gas station captured the harrowing moments of the shooting. While Whitney was outside the vehicle, gunfire suddenly erupted from within the car. After she was struck, the video reportedly showed her boyfriend, 18-year-old Ja'Quarius Thomas, administering first aid to her. Despite his efforts, Whitney Breanna Sloan succumbed to her injuries at the scene. Her family recounted that the couple had just left a relative's house, stating they were going to the store and would be right back.
In the aftermath of the shooting, law enforcement quickly identified Thomas as the primary suspect. He was arrested in connection with the murder of his girlfriend. The investigation led to charges against Thomas that included malice murder, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, and theft by receiving stolen property. Authorities also determined that the firearm used in the fatal shooting had been stolen. Thomas was subsequently held without bond.
Whitney's family remembered her as someone who was drawn to helping 'broken people,' a quality they believe may have ultimately cost her her life. Her sister expressed concerns about Thomas's temper, describing him as having a 'rage part of him' that she did not like. The senseless act of violence left a void in the lives of her loved ones, who were left to grapple with the sudden and tragic loss of a young woman in the prime of her life.
