In the early evening of a summer day in Athens, Georgia, a young man's life was tragically cut short in a burst of violence. On June 4, 2018, Saheed Snow, a 21-year-old male, was found with multiple gunshot wounds in the parking lot of an apartment complex on East Carver Drive. He was rushed to a local hospital but succumbed to his injuries.
Witnesses at the scene recounted seeing Snow get into a car with two men.
An interaction occurred within the vehicle that ended with Snow being shot and then pulled from the car onto the pavement. One of the assailants fled the scene on foot, while the other drove away in the vehicle, which was described as a 2008 Chevrolet Cobalt or Malibu.
The investigation into Snow's death quickly led authorities to identify two suspects: David Rojas Garcia of Hull, Georgia, and his cousin, Martin Borja Garcia. A warrant was issued for David Rojas Garcia's arrest on a murder charge, and he was taken into custody the following day at a residence on Hanover Place. The capture was the result of a collaborative effort involving the Athens-Clarke County Police Department, the FBI Safe Streets Task Force, the ACCPD Gang Unit, and Homeland Security Investigations.
As the case proceeded, a plea agreement was reached with Martin Borja Garcia. In exchange for his truthful testimony against his cousin, the murder charges against him were dropped. He pleaded guilty to aggravated assault and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony. Consequently, he was sentenced to five years in prison followed by five years of probation. David Rojas Garcia, identified by police as the shooter, maintained that he shot Snow in self-defense, claiming that Snow had attempted to rob him and his cousin during a transaction involving the sale of a handgun. However, investigators believed the evidence pointed to an armed robbery perpetrated by the Garcias.
