In the early morning hours of September 15, 2019, a dispute that began at a nightclub in Statesboro, Georgia, tragically escalated, ending the life of 27-year-old Dexter L. Dunbar II. An African American man from Sylvania, Dunbar was shot multiple times in a parking lot at the Stadium Walk apartment complex on Lanier Drive. Despite the efforts of a Bulloch County Sheriff's deputy who rendered aid until paramedics arrived, Dunbar was pronounced dead at East Georgia Regional Medical Center.
The events of that night unfolded after a fight at the nearby Cowboys nightclub, which resulted in security using pepper spray to disperse the crowd. Following this, Dunbar, along with his sister and some friends, went to an apartment at Stadium Walk. It was there that a confrontation occurred with two other men from Sylvania, Brendyn Laroy Carter and Thomas Isreal Cooper. Witnesses testified that Cooper brandished a. 40-caliber pistol, preventing Dunbar and his group from leaving until Carter arrived. Upon Carter's arrival, he and Dunbar engaged in a brief physical altercation, exchanging a few punches. Shortly after the fight began, Cooper approached and shot Dunbar.
Statesboro Police, who were in the vicinity investigating a separate incident, heard the gunshots and responded to the scene at approximately 1:47 a.m. Their investigation quickly led to the arrests of Carter, then 22, and Cooper, then 20. Both men were charged with murder and held in the Bulloch County Jail. The case against them proceeded to a jury trial in Bulloch County Superior Court in October 2021.
During the trial, the prosecution argued that Carter instigated the fight and that Cooper was a party to the crime. However, Carter's defense maintained that he was unaware that Cooper intended to shoot Dunbar. Cooper's attorney contended that while his client did shoot Dunbar, it was an overreaction spurred by past trauma and a belief that Dunbar posed a threat, arguing for a conviction of voluntary manslaughter rather than murder. The jury ultimately found Thomas Isreal Cooper guilty of malice murder and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony. He faced a life sentence with the possibility of parole, plus an additional five years for the firearm charge. Brendyn Laroy Carter was acquitted of all charges and was free to go home after having spent over two years in jail awaiting trial.
