In the early morning hours of Saturday, March 14, 2020, tragedy struck in the parking lot of a Huddle House on East Hancock Street in Milledgeville, Georgia, when 17-year-old Jamonte Solomon was shot and killed. Another man, 24-year-old Eric Marshall, was also wounded in the incident which occurred around 4:15 a.m. When law enforcement arrived at the scene, they found the young male victim had already succumbed to his injuries.
The shooting of Jamonte Solomon was not an isolated event
but rather the catalyst for a weekend of violence in the Milledgeville and Baldwin County area. Investigators believe the homicide was gang-related, and it sparked a series of retaliatory drive-by shootings. In the days that followed, law enforcement investigated numerous shootings and a house fire that was determined to be arson, all believed to be connected to the initial incident at the Huddle House.
In connection with the death of Jamonte Solomon, three local men were arrested and charged with murder. The suspects were identified as 20-year-old Keandre Bolston, 29-year-old Armontae Trawick, and 17-year-old Deangelo Hartry. One of the suspects, Armontae Trawick, was initially taken into custody for tampering with evidence at the scene of the crime before being charged with murder.
The legal proceedings for those allegedly involved have seen some developments. Keandre Bolston, one of the men charged with Solomon's murder, was sentenced to 20 years in prison on unrelated charges from a 2018 case. A judge revoked his probation on the prior charges due to his alleged involvement in the homicide. As of August 2021, the murder charge against Bolston was still pending. Additionally, a friend of Jamonte Solomon, Eric Sanford, pleaded guilty to four counts of aggravated assault and one count of criminal street gang activity for his role in the retaliatory drive-by shootings that occurred after the murder. He was sentenced to serve 15 years in prison.
