In the early hours of a Tuesday morning in Monroe, Georgia, the life of 17-year-old Etiennie Boakye was tragically cut short. On May 6, 2025, police responded to a call of a gunshot victim on Lacy Street just after 1 a.m. and found the young male from Covington suffering from a gunshot wound. Despite the efforts of first responders, Boakye succumbed to his injuries at the scene.
The violence of that night did not end with Boakye's death. Shortly after discovering the teenager, law enforcement was alerted to a second victim. At the intersection of Pine Park Street and Knight Street, they found 23-year-old Jazaire Burgess of Monroe, also with a gunshot wound. Burgess was transported to an Atlanta-area hospital in critical condition. Investigators believe both shootings were connected and occurred on Lacy Street.
An intensive investigation into the shootings was launched by the Monroe Police Department, with assistance from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, the Walton County Sheriff's Office, and the Newton County Sheriff's Office. Their collaborative efforts led to the identification of two suspects, both teenagers from Covington.
Laddarreus Tiller, 17, and Jatorian Ellis, 18, were subsequently arrested and are facing a slew of serious charges. Both have been charged with felony murder, armed robbery, aggravated assault, aggravated battery, and possession of a weapon during the commission of a felony. The arrests brought a swift, though not final, development in a case that had shaken the community and left one young man dead and another fighting for his life.
