On a Sunday afternoon in Moultrie, Georgia, a mother's outing with her children turned into a tragedy. Fatisha Annette Clark, a 33-year-old mother of three, was at the Ryce Community Center on March 6, 2016, when she was struck by a single bullet to the abdomen. She was with two of her children at the park at the time of the shooting. Clark was rushed to Colquitt Regional Medical Center, but she succumbed to her injuries approximately two hours later.
The investigation into her death quickly revealed that the shooting was the culmination of a dispute between teenagers that had begun earlier in the day. Investigators determined that Fatisha Clark was not the intended target of the gunfire. The incident that led to the fatal shooting reportedly stemmed from an earlier confrontation involving a group of teens.
In the days following the shooting, authorities made several arrests. A 16-year-old, Jaquan Willis, was identified as the individual who fired multiple shots from a moving vehicle, with one of the bullets striking Clark. He was arrested and subsequently indicted on charges of felony murder, aggravated assault, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony. Due to the nature of the charges, Willis was to be tried as an adult.
Several other individuals were also taken into custody in connection with the events that transpired that day. Aldean Roberts Jr., 24, was charged with making false statements and contributing to the delinquency of a minor, as he was accused of encouraging the teenagers to fight. Ja'Michael Simpson, 17, Billy Rushing, 17, and four other juveniles faced charges related to the fight that preceded the shooting. One of the juveniles was also charged with aggravated assault for allegedly pointing a gun at another teen before the fight.
Jaquan Willis's case proceeded through the legal system, and he was released on bond ahead of his trial. The trial for the murder of Fatisha Annette Clark commenced in June 2017. In a later development, a juror from the trial, Tambrest Keyes-Jones, was arrested in February 2019 and charged with perjury for allegedly failing to disclose information during the jury selection process.
