In the summer of 2016, the community of Waycross, Georgia, was shaken by a violent act that claimed the life of 21-year-old Cameron Wilkins Jr., an African American male. On the evening of June 18th, gunfire erupted at the Garlington Heights apartments, a public housing complex. When Waycross Police Department officers responded to the 911 calls around 10:35 p.m., they discovered a chaotic scene with four individuals having been shot. Cameron Wilkins Jr. and a 32-year-old woman, Felicia Williams, were pronounced dead at the scene. Two other victims were transported to a local hospital for treatment of their injuries.
According to his family, Cameron, a father of seven, had recently been released from jail and was actively trying to turn his life around. His sister described him as the 'glue' that held their family together, a person who was focused on making his mother proud by staying out of trouble. The sudden and tragic end to his life left his family and the community reeling. In the immediate aftermath, investigators had no motive for the shooting and made public appeals for any information that could lead to the identification of those responsible. The incident was particularly alarming as it was the first fatal shooting at the apartment complex in at least a year and a half.
The investigation, a joint effort between the Waycross Police Department and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, led to a breakthrough in the case. Two suspects were identified and apprehended in connection with the double homicide. Davante Marquise LeJune, 21, was arrested in Blackshear, Georgia, while the second suspect, 23-year-old Jarvis D. Edmonds, was taken into custody in Homerville, Georgia. Both men were subsequently charged with two counts of murder and two counts of aggravated assault for their alleged roles in the deaths of Cameron Wilkins Jr. and Felicia Williams, and the injuries sustained by the other two victims. The arrests brought a measure of relief to the grieving families and the Waycross community as the judicial process began.
