In the late spring of 2016, a dispute over a seemingly harmless activity escalated into a fatal encounter in Columbus, Georgia. On May 24th, 33-year-old Alcides Ruben Washington was spending time with others, firing a friend's paintball gun while they worked on a storage building. This seemingly innocuous pastime would tragically set the stage for his untimely death.
The owner of the paintball gun, Timothy Tarr, a military police officer at Fort Benning, and his wife reportedly became
increasingly irritated with Washington for the number of paintballs he was firing. Their annoyance festered, leading Tarr to demand that Washington stop. When his demands were not met, the situation took a dark and irreversible turn. In a moment of anger, Tarr drew a. 45 pistol he was carrying.
The argument, which began over something as trivial as paintballs, culminated in Tarr allegedly shooting and killing his friend, Alcides Ruben Washington. In the aftermath of the shooting, law enforcement was called to the scene at Stone Creek Court. Following an investigation into the incident, Timothy Tarr was arrested and faced a series of serious charges.
Tarr was charged with murder, aggravated assault, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime. Despite the accusations and witness testimony detailing the events that led to Washington's death, Tarr pleaded not guilty to the charges brought against him. He was subsequently held in the Muscogee County Jail without the possibility of bond as he awaited legal proceedings.
