Michael Gates

Michael Gates, a 27-year-old Black man described by his mother as someone who “loved to live life,” was a friendly and caring son who spoke with her every day. He was a staff technician who had attended Upson-Lee High School and Savannah State University. His life was cut short on the night of December 1, 2020, in his hometown of Thomaston, Georgia.

That Tuesday evening, around 10:22 p.m., two armed men broke into Gates's apartment on Wellington Drive in what investigators believed was a drug-related robbery. During the home invasion, Gates was shot. His mother, Jessica Tigner, who lived less than half a mile away, rushed to his home after learning of the incident. She later recalled that the last words she heard her son say were, "somebody please help me." Emergency responders transported Gates to Upson Regional Medical Center, but he was pronounced dead from his injuries at about 1 a.m.

The Thomaston Police Department, with assistance from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, launched a homicide investigation. A week after the shooting, on December 8, 2020, authorities made their first arrest, taking 19-year-old Jordan Marquez Jones into custody. He was charged with felony murder and home invasion. Investigators continued to search for a second man they believed was one of the shooters, identifying him as 26-year-old Jakari Daniel, also known as "Byrd."

The manhunt for Daniel ended on March 6, 2021, when he was arrested in McIntosh County on unrelated drug and weapon charges. He was later transferred to the Upson County Jail to face charges of felony murder and home invasion in the death of Michael Gates. The investigation did not stop there. Over the following two months, police identified and arrested three more people in connection with the crime.

On April 14, 2021, authorities arrested 21-year-old Chaz Searcy and charged him with felony murder. Less than a month later, on May 11, 24-year-old Nytia JeJuane Smith was arrested and charged with felony murder and home invasion. Police also secured warrants for 27-year-old Deandre Rashad Tennyson for felony murder and home invasion. At the time, Tennyson was already in custody at the Fulton County Jail on unrelated charges and was slated for transfer to Upson County. By May 2021, the Thomaston Police Department announced that all subjects associated with the home invasion and murder of Michael Gates had been arrested or charged.