In the predawn hours of a late March Saturday in 2019, the quiet of a residential neighborhood in Thomson, Georgia, was shattered by the sound of gunfire. Behind a home in the 200 block of Jones Road, 63-year-old Charles Willingham, a Black male, was shot. The Thomson Police Department received a call about the shooting at approximately 1:40 a.m. on March 30th and upon arrival, officers discovered Mr. Willingham’s body. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Known affectionately to friends and family as “Ham,” Charles Willingham was a well-known figure in his community. Born on Christmas Day in 1955 in McDuffie County, he was a 1974 graduate of Thomson High School. Shortly after graduation, he embarked on a two-decade-long career with the Georgia Army National Guard, retiring as a Sergeant in 1995. Those who knew him described him as a man who cherished the simple pleasures of life and, above all, loved spending time with his family.
In the aftermath of the shooting, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation was called in to assist the Thomson Police Department with the homicide investigation. Agents from the GBI’s Region 7 Field Office responded to the scene to begin their inquiry. An autopsy was ordered to be performed at the GBI Crime Lab in Decatur to officially determine the cause and manner of death.
Authorities appealed to the public for any information that might lead to an understanding of the events that transpired that early morning. They urged anyone with knowledge of the incident to contact the Thomson Police Department or the GBI. Despite the initial investigation and the public’s call for assistance, there have been no subsequent public announcements regarding any arrests made or suspects identified in connection with the death of Charles Willingham. The investigation was initially described as ongoing, but further details about its progress or conclusion have not been made available in the years that have passed. The case remains a painful and unresolved chapter for his family and the Thomson community.
