In the late afternoon of Saturday, January 28, 2017, a burst of violence at the Bridgewater Apartments in Duluth, Georgia, claimed the life of 19-year-old J'Kobe Wilkerson. An African American male, Wilkerson was discovered in the breezeway of an apartment building on Ridge Brook Trail, having sustained a fatal gunshot wound. The incident, which unfolded around 5:15 p.m., also left another individual injured.
Law enforcement responded to the scene following a report of a person with a possible gunshot wound who had appeared at a resident's apartment. Upon their arrival, they found Wilkerson deceased. The second victim was transported to a local medical center for treatment of their injuries. The connection between the two victims was not immediately made public by the authorities. The motive behind the shooting remained under investigation in the days following the event.
Within a 24-hour period, Gwinnett County Police had identified and apprehended two suspects in connection with the deadly shooting. Christopher Tavarez and Bailey Foney-Ray, both 18 years old at the time, were taken into custody. The two teenagers were subsequently charged with felony murder, aggravated assault, and conspiracy for their alleged roles in the death of Wilkerson and the injury of the second person. Following their arrest, Tavarez and Foney-Ray were booked into the Gwinnett County Jail.
