In the late summer of 2018, tragedy struck in south Macon, Georgia, when 30-year-old Michael Antwan Chapman, a Black male, was fatally shot. On the evening of September 15th, Bibb County Sheriff's deputies responded to a call of a person shot on Burke Street. Upon their arrival just after 7:20 p.m., they discovered Chapman lying in the roadway, having sustained multiple gunshot wounds. He was quickly transported to the Navicent Health Center, but his injuries proved to be too severe, and he was pronounced deceased.
The investigation into Chapman's death swiftly moved forward, and the Bibb County Sheriff's Office sought the public's help in locating a person of interest. Less than two months later, on November 2, 2018, a tip from a concerned citizen led to a significant breakthrough in the case. A team of law enforcement officers, including the Bibb County Sheriff's Office Investigators, the Gang Unit, and the U.S. Marshals Southeast Regional Fugitive Task Force, descended on a residence in the 2100 block of Joseph Waller Drive in east Macon. There, they located and arrested 18-year-old DeQuavious Jamal Howard without incident.
Howard was taken into custody and subsequently charged in connection with the homicide of Michael Antwan Chapman. The charges brought against him were severe: Armed Robbery and Murder. Following his arrest, he was transported to the Bibb County Law Enforcement Complex for booking.
The investigation also led to the arrest of two other individuals at the residence where Howard was found. Crystal Reese, age 39, and Makayla Bowden, age 18, were both charged with aiding or hindering the apprehension of a fugitive. Bowden faced additional charges of possession of schedule 2 drugs and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony.
