In the summer of 2018, a cycle of violence unfolded in the Thomasville Heights community of southeast Atlanta, beginning with the death of 21-year-old Christopher Calhoun. On the night of June 11th, Calhoun was involved in a shootout at an apartment complex on New Town Circle. He sustained a gunshot wound to the stomach and was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead shortly after his arrival.
Another man, Corey Miller, was also shot multiple times in the legs during the same incident and was transported to the hospital. When police investigated the apartment where Miller was found, they discovered it was littered with guns. The two individuals who brought Calhoun to the hospital were detained after firearms were found in their vehicle.
Two days later, on the evening of June 13th, a large crowd of nearly 200 people gathered for a vigil to remember and honor Christopher Calhoun in the 300 block of Thomasville Boulevard. The peaceful gathering took a tragic turn when an argument broke out, escalating to gunfire. As chaos erupted, 27-year-old Eric Smith was shot multiple times while reportedly trying to de-escalate the altercation. He died on the way to the hospital. Authorities believed the shooting at the vigil was in retaliation for Calhoun's death.
The violence at the vigil, which was meant to be a moment of mourning, left the Thomasville Heights community feeling under siege. The back-to-back shootings highlighted the persistent issue of gun violence in the neighborhood.
In the weeks that followed, Atlanta police investigated the shooting that claimed Eric Smith's life. Their investigation led them to Jordan Weatherby of Stone Mountain. Two weeks after the deadly vigil, Weatherby was arrested and charged with murder in connection with Smith's death. He was booked into the Fulton County jail and held without bond.
