In the winter of 2025, the community of Statesboro, Georgia, was shaken by the violent and untimely death of 17-year-old Nasir Johnson. A student at Statesboro High School, Johnson was known for his love of basketball and track. He was a hardworking young man, employed at a local restaurant, with dreams of buying his first car.
On the evening of January 14, 2025, a physical altercation between two groups at the Pinewood Manor Apartments on Packinghouse Road escalated into a tragedy.
Gunshots rang out, and when the chaos subsided, Nasir Johnson was found deceased at the scene. Two other teenagers, both 16-year-old males, were also wounded in the shooting. One was airlifted to a hospital in Savannah in stable condition, while the other was treated locally and released.
The Statesboro Police Department launched an immediate investigation. Their efforts quickly led them to a suspect, a 14-year-old male named Robert Pierre Biggins III. The day after the shooting, on January 15, detectives and the SPD's SWAT team executed a search warrant at an apartment on Brampton Avenue and took the juvenile into custody. He was subsequently charged with one count of murder and two counts of aggravated assault.
In the face of this tragedy, the Statesboro community came together to mourn and to call for an end to youth violence. A gathering was held at the Bulloch County Courthouse square, where residents and local activists voiced their concerns and advocated for more resources and support for the city's youth.
In February 2026, Robert Pierre Biggins III pleaded guilty to felony murder for the death of Nasir Johnson, as well as to other charges related to the shooting. During the court proceedings, Biggins expressed remorse for his actions and apologized to the victims' families. Johnson's mother addressed the court, sharing memories of her son as a bright and honorable young man. In a poignant moment, she asked Biggins if he had known her son or intended to kill him, to which he replied 'no' to both questions. Biggins was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole for the felony murder charge.
