In the early morning hours of September 16, 2017, a dispute at a gathering of approximately 20 people at the intersection of Chaney Drive and Puckett Street in Covington, Georgia, escalated into a burst of gunfire. Responding to a call at around 2:31 a.m., Covington Police Department officers discovered 22-year-old Trayvond Bernard Ball on the ground, suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. Despite the immediate aid rendered by officers and emergency medical services, Ball succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene.
A second individual, 33-year-old Doylmarrian S. Hardeman, also of Covington, sustained multiple gunshot wounds during the incident. Hardeman was not present when police arrived but later appeared at Piedmont Newton Hospital. He was subsequently transferred to a trauma center in Atlanta for treatment of his injuries. Investigators at the time believed that Ball and Hardeman were the only two individuals struck by gunfire during the altercation.
In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, law enforcement officials spoke with several eyewitnesses. However, they believed that other individuals present at the gathering had yet to come forward with information. The Covington Police Department made a public plea for these additional witnesses to provide their accounts to aid in the investigation. Despite the ongoing investigation and the identification of the victims, no charges were immediately filed in the case. Online news sources available in the years following the incident do not contain any information about any arrests being made or any suspects being publicly identified in connection with the death of Trayvond Bernard Ball.
