A dispute that began on Facebook Messenger escalated into a fatal shooting in Jonesboro, Georgia, on August 17, 2020, claiming the life of 29-year-old Taylor Rymon Smith. Smith, an African American male, was shot and killed after a heated online argument with Xavier Deantae Scott, also 29 years old. The disagreement between the two men was reportedly over a woman and led them to agree to meet in person to settle their differences.
The confrontation took a deadly turn when Smith arrived at Scott's home on Kevin Place. Neighbors later reported hearing two or three gunshots. When police arrived at the scene, they found Smith deceased. The investigation into the shooting was taken over by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation to determine the precise circumstances that led to the gunfire.
Following the incident, Xavier Deantae Scott was arrested and taken into custody. He was subsequently charged with malice murder, aggravated assault, and possession of a weapon during the commission of a felony. Scott was booked into the Clayton County Jail where he was held without bond as legal proceedings in the case commenced. The case drew attention for the role that social media played in the escalation of the dispute from an online argument to a real-world tragedy.
