In the winter of 2014, the city of Macon, Georgia, was shaken by a burst of violence that claimed the life of 25-year-old Cory Hollingshed, a male resident of the city. The night of Friday, December 12th, unfolded inside the Wings Cafe on Bloomfield Road, a local nightclub that tragically transformed into the scene of a deadly gunfight. The altercation, which erupted shortly before 2 a.m., was not a random act of violence but rather the grim culmination of a simmering feud between two rival street gangs. Investigators would later identify the factions as the Crips and the Gangster Disciples, the latter also known locally as the Blacc Team. Hollingshed was identified as an alleged member of the Crips.
The chaos that ensued within the confines of the club left a devastating toll. In the immediate aftermath, Hollingshed and another man, 34-year-old George Henley, the nightclub's DJ, were fatally wounded. A third victim, 38-year-old Derrick Jackson, succumbed to his injuries days later in the hospital. The hail of bullets also left four other individuals wounded. The Bibb County Sheriff's Office swiftly launched an investigation into what they described as a gang-related battle, and a dragnet began to close in on those believed to be responsible for the bloodshed that had shattered a holiday season weekend.
In the days and weeks that followed, a series of arrests were made as investigators pieced together the events of that fatal night. Among those taken into custody and facing murder and gang-related charges were Markques Patterson, Eric Watkins, Vertuice Wall, and Jacquez Foster. Another suspect, Kenyata Lester, was also sought and eventually apprehended. The investigation revealed a complex web of gang affiliations and a premeditated confrontation. A subsequent federal racketeering indictment against 32 alleged members of the Gangster Disciples provided a broader context for the violence at Wings Cafe, alleging it was part of a larger criminal enterprise.
The wheels of justice turned, leading to a series of legal outcomes for the accused. Markques Patterson, identified in the federal indictment as the individual who fired the shot that killed Cory Hollingshed, pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and violating the state's gang act. He was sentenced to 30 years in prison. Kenyatta Noreece Lester also entered a guilty plea to voluntary manslaughter and a violation of the Street Gang Terrorism Prevention Act, receiving a 25-year prison sentence for his role in the death of Derrick Jackson. Vertuice Wall, a leader of the Macon branch of the Gangster Disciples, was convicted in federal court of racketeering conspiracy, which included his involvement in the Wings Cafe murders, and was sentenced to 30 years. Another man, Derek Taylor, who was accused of providing security for Wall, pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy and was sentenced to 10 years. In a turn of events, the charges against Eric Watkins were eventually dropped after he was able to provide a solid alibi, proving he was not at the nightclub on the night of the shooting. The final disposition of the case against Jacquez Foster, who was also charged with felony murder, remains less clear from available online sources, though he was listed as awaiting trial in April of 2016.
