William Javon Tatum, 40, was a male from Columbus whose death unfolded in a way that left a deep sense of fear and heartbreak around the Stone Creek area. On the night of October 10, 2025, officers were called to the 5000 block of Stone Park Drive at about 8:50 p.m. after a shooting was reported. When they arrived, they found Tatum wounded by gunfire. He was taken by EMS to Piedmont Columbus Regional, where he was pronounced dead at 9:38 p.m.
The case was taken over by violent crimes investigators, and in the first days after the shooting, authorities publicly asked for help as they worked to piece together what had happened.
As more reporting emerged, the killing was described as something far more terrifying than a sudden gunshot in the night. Tatum, known to loved ones as Bam, had reportedly been coming home with food for a family movie night when masked men confronted him outside the house. Accounts published in the weeks after his death said his fiancée and children were inside when the men forced their way into the home, using Tatum at gunpoint as leverage at the door. The scene that followed was described as chaotic and traumatic, with his family witnessing the violence and later saying the attackers left without taking anything, making the loss feel even more senseless.
For months, the case sat with grief on one side and unanswered questions on the other. Then, on February 5, 2026, police announced that three men had been arrested and charged in connection with Tatum’s death. Authorities identified them as Ka’Sean Huff, 26, Marques Lattimor, 22, and Uriel Reed, 25. According to police, Huff was taken into custody by the fugitive unit, while Lattimor and Reed were served with warrants while already being held in the Muscogee County Jail on unrelated charges.
Investigators said all three suspects were charged with murder, armed robbery, first-degree home invasion, kidnapping, possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime, and third-degree cruelty to children. The added cruelty-to-children charge underscored the fact that children were allegedly exposed to the violence surrounding Tatum’s death. A preliminary court appearance was scheduled for February 6, 2026. In the online reports available, the arrests marked the biggest public development in the case, and no later reporting was found describing a trial, conviction, or final court outcome.
