In the late hours of a Wednesday night in June 2020, a dispute in a Macon, Georgia, parking lot tragically cut short the life of 25-year-old Devontae Tennyson. A Bibb County 911 dispatcher, Tennyson had been at the Midtown Daiquiri Bar & Grill on Log Cabin Drive. An argument that began with private security guards employed by the establishment moved out into the parking lot.
Witnesses reported that following a disagreement, Tennyson went to his vehicle. He was seen holding an AR-15, though accounts suggest he did not raise it in a threatening way. Shortly after, a 24-year-old security guard named Donavon Scott-Sinclair confronted Tennyson. After a brief exchange, Scott-Sinclair fired his weapon multiple times, striking Tennyson in the chest, stomach, and side. Initial reports indicated an exchange of gunfire, but the Bibb County Sheriff later clarified that investigators believe Tennyson never fired his weapon. He was transported to a nearby medical center where he was pronounced dead just after midnight on June 18, 2020.
The investigation into the fatal shooting led to the swift arrest of Donavon Scott-Sinclair. He was taken into custody and charged with the murder of Devontae Tennyson. Scott-Sinclair was initially held without bond at the Bibb County Law Enforcement Center but was later moved to a different facility because his father was a Bibb County deputy.
Despite the murder charge, the case against Donavon Scott-Sinclair did not proceed to trial. After hearing the evidence presented, a grand jury declined to indict him. According to the District Attorney's office, the grand jury determined there was insufficient evidence to formally charge the security guard in connection with Devontae Tennyson's death. The decision left Tennyson's family without the closure of a criminal trial.
