In a quiet subdivision in Fairburn, Georgia, the evening of August 6, 2025, was shattered by the sound of gunfire, leaving 19-year-old Tyeler Jackson, a Black male, clinging to life on a residential street. Police and emergency crews were dispatched to Mayfern Trace just after 5 p.m. following reports of a person shot. They discovered Jackson on the ground with a gunshot wound to his abdomen. As he drifted in and out of consciousness, his words to the officers were not of what had happened, but a plea: 'Help me first.'
Rushed to a local hospital, Jackson succumbed to his injuries shortly before 7 p.m. Investigators at the scene collected several pieces of evidence, including an iPhone, a knife, a green bag, and multiple bullet rounds, beginning the process of piecing together the events that led to the fatal shooting. The investigation quickly revealed that the incident was not a random act of violence but the tragic culmination of a planned exchange of a gun for marijuana that had gone wrong.
Within a day, the investigation led to the arrests of two individuals: 20-year-old Christopher Carter and 18-year-old K'Mari Sloan. Both were charged with murder. According to arrest warrants, Sloan had arranged to meet Jackson, whom he knew from high school, for the trade. Believing he had been shorted on the marijuana, Sloan returned with Carter to confront Jackson. During the ensuing altercation, Carter allegedly struck Jackson with the gun before it discharged, firing a single shot into Jackson's back.
Sloan, who had driven the two to the location, turned himself in to the Fairburn Police Department and provided a statement that implicated both himself and Carter. Carter, who was identified by Sloan as 'Peanut,' was also interviewed by police. With a mental health coordinator present due to Carter being autistic, he reportedly admitted to hitting Jackson with the gun and pointing it at him when it went off. In addition to the murder charge, Carter also faced charges of aggravated assault and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony.
