In the early hours of a Wednesday in late May 2014, a party at the Dwell @ 750 apartment complex on Franklin Road in Marietta, Georgia, turned tragic. Among the roughly 60 attendees was 19-year-old Christopher Wilson, an African American male. The festive atmosphere was shattered when a group of four to five individuals, who were not invited, arrived and began an altercation with some of the partygoers.
The confrontation quickly escalated when one of the uninvited guests produced a
handgun and began firing into the crowd. In the ensuing chaos, three people were struck by bullets. Wilson was critically injured and rushed to WellStar Kennestone Hospital, where he ultimately succumbed to his injuries on May 28, 2014. Two other individuals, 19-year-old Chauncey Martin and 18-year-old Malik Phillips, also sustained gunshot wounds but their injuries were not life-threatening.
Following the shooting, the Marietta Police Department launched an investigation. Witnesses reported that the violence began after the unwanted group started a fight. The investigation led to the identification of a suspect, 20-year-old Blaylan Christopher Phillips of Marietta, who lived in the same apartment complex where the party took place.
A few days later, in the early morning hours of a Saturday, Blaylan Phillips was arrested at his apartment. He was subsequently charged with felony murder and aggravated assault in connection with the shooting. Phillips was booked into the Cobb County jail where he was held without bond.
