In the early morning hours of September 23, 2018, a burst of gunfire shattered the predawn quiet in Rome, Georgia, leaving one man dead and three other people wounded. The deceased was identified as 35-year-old Tamaine Deshaun McKnight, a Black male from Rome. The violent encounter unfolded in a parking lot located at 510 Calhoun Avenue. When law enforcement arrived at the scene around 4:20 a.m., they discovered McKnight’s body, along with two semi-automatic pistols lying near him.
The scene was chaotic, with investigators finding more than a dozen shell casings scattered across the pavement, testament to the intensity of the exchange. Police characterized the incident as a gunfight that erupted from an argument among a group of people who had gathered in the parking lot. Witnesses reported hearing the gunshots and seeing a group of individuals in the lot just before the violence broke out. One witness, who was sitting on her porch, described seeing a large group of people before the shooting began, prompting her and her friends to run for cover.
Shortly after the initial discovery, a Jeep was seen speeding away from the area and heading towards a local medical center. Inside the vehicle were three individuals who had also been involved in the gunfight. Evanda Spivey, 38, of Rome, and Sammy Riles, 33, of Columbus, had both sustained leg wounds. They informed the police that they were shot as they were trying to flee the scene. A third person, 29-year-old Ladory Robinson of Rome, was found at a different location on Atteiram Drive with multiple gunshot wounds. All three were transported to the hospital for treatment.
In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, investigators began the arduous task of piecing together the events that led to McKnight's death. They interviewed the two injured individuals who had been in the Jeep, hoping to shed light on who fired the shots and what precipitated the deadly confrontation. At the time, police reported that while witnesses confirmed everyone involved had been together at the location, it was unclear who had shot whom. No arrests were made in the initial stages of the investigation.
