In the early morning hours of Friday, September 13, 2024, the quiet of a Thomson, Georgia, neighborhood was shattered by the sound of gunfire. Inside his home in the 1200 block of Royal Street, 39-year-old Calvin Lee Hart Jr., a Black male known to friends and family as 'Cap,' was fatally wounded. The McDuffie County Sheriff's Office received a call about a shooting at approximately 5:15 a.m. and upon arrival, deputies discovered Hart deceased at the scene from gunshot wounds. The McDuffie County Coroner pronounced him dead at 6:00 a.m.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation was called in to lead the homicide investigation. Initially, no arrests were made, and authorities appealed to the public for any information that could help piece together the events that led to Hart's death. Hart was a 2003 graduate of Thomson High School and was described as a loving son and father. His sudden and violent death sent shockwaves through the community, leaving his family and friends to grapple with the profound loss.
A significant break in the case came on Tuesday, September 17, 2024, just four days after the shooting. The GBI and the McDuffie County Sheriff's Office announced the arrests of four individuals in connection with Hart's murder. Antavious Griffin, 20, and Tyreon Mew, 18, both of Thomson, were taken into custody. Griffin's arrest followed a car chase in McDuffie County. He was charged with Aggravated Assault, Felony Murder, and Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Crime. Mew was also arrested and charged by the Thomson Police Department and the McDuffie County Sheriff's Office.
Two other Thomson men, 18-year-old Jatavious Griffin and 19-year-old Tony Griffin, were also arrested. Their charges included Unlawful Possession of Firearms or Weapons and Participation in Criminal Street Gang Activity. All four suspects were booked into the McDuffie County Jail. With the arrests made, the case file was set to be turned over to the Toombs Judicial Circuit District Attorney's Office for prosecution.
