In the early morning hours of Sunday, September 24, 2017, a dispute at the Magnolia Acres apartment complex in Waynesboro, Georgia, tragically cut short the life of 35-year-old Ronald Henry Davis. Responding to reports of gunfire shortly after 1:00 a.m., law enforcement and emergency personnel discovered Davis suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. He was immediately transported to Burke Medical Center for treatment but ultimately succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead.
The investigation into the shooting, a joint effort by the Waynesboro Police Department, the Burke County Sheriff's Office, and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, quickly led to a suspect. A short time after the incident, authorities apprehended 36-year-old Marion Leon Hamilton Jr. at a nearby convenience store. Hamilton was taken into custody and subsequently charged with murder, possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Reports indicated that Hamilton had sustained facial injuries during the altercation that led to the shooting.
In the days following the fatal shooting, law enforcement officials also sought another individual in connection with the case. A second man, identified as 22-year-old James Abrams Jr., was wanted for obstruction and interfering with the crime scene at the Magnolia Acres Apartments. The investigation continued as the community mourned the loss of Ronald Henry Davis.
