On the evening of May 30, 2019, in Rome, Georgia, a dispute that began as a 'silly argument' between neighbors escalated into a fatal act of violence, claiming the life of 74-year-old Johnny Lewis Price, an African-American male. The altercation took place on Hardy Avenue, where Price and 46-year-old Wallace Junior Chambers Jr. engaged in two separate arguments. Following the second confrontation, Chambers departed from the scene, only to return shortly after brandishing a firearm.
Witnesses reported that Chambers then shot Price multiple times. First responders found Price on the ground near a gold truck with several gunshot wounds. Despite being rushed to a local hospital, he succumbed to his injuries later that evening. The Rome Police Department immediately launched a homicide investigation into the shooting, quickly identifying Chambers as the suspect.
Following the incident, Chambers fled the scene, prompting authorities to issue warrants for his arrest on charges of felony murder and aggravated assault. The U.S. Marshals Service joined the search for Chambers, who was considered armed and dangerous. A few days later, on June 4, 2019, Wallace Junior Chambers Jr. turned himself in to the Floyd County Sheriff's Office.
In addition to the initial charges, Chambers also faced a charge for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. While incarcerated, he incurred another charge for unauthorized possession of a weapon by an inmate after a knife was discovered in his shoe. The case against Chambers proceeded to trial, where he was ultimately convicted of voluntary manslaughter and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. For his role in the death of Johnny Lewis Price, he was sentenced to 25 years in prison.
