In the early morning hours of July 27, 2024, a shooting in Americus, Georgia, left one man dead and another wounded. Deandre Raashod Jones, a 28-year-old male, was transported to Phoebe Sumter Medical Center by a private vehicle after sustaining gunshot wounds. He ultimately succumbed to his injuries at the hospital. The incident, which also resulted in the injury of 25-year-old Kadarius Washington, took place in the area of Bessie Mays Circle and Norman Cole Drive. Officers responding to the scene at approximately 3:23 AM found evidence of the shooting in front of a residence on Bessie Mays Circle.
The Americus Police Department and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation launched a joint investigation into the homicide. Their efforts led to the identification of a suspect, Deavion Lockhart, age 28. In November 2024, authorities announced that warrants had been issued for Lockhart's arrest, with a last known address in Dublin, Georgia. He was sought on charges of Murder, two counts of Aggravated Assault, and Possession of a Firearm during the Commission of a Felony.
The search for Lockhart concluded in the early hours of January 29, 2025. A joint operation involving the Americus Police Department, the Sumter County Sheriff's Office, and the U.S. Marshals Service located Lockhart at a residence on Bessie Mays Circle in Americus, the same street where the shooting occurred. He was taken into custody without incident and formally charged in connection with the shooting death of Deandre Raashod Jones.
