In the summer of 2024, the life of 19-year-old Brandson Long, a white male from Shannon, Georgia, was cut tragically short by a gunshot wound. On the evening of June 23rd, events unfolded that would lead to his untimely death and the subsequent arrest of two acquaintances.
What began as a purported camping trip in the Shannon Community took a dark turn.
Brandson was in the company of 22-year-old Tyler Michael Zacher and 20-year-old Jayden Patrick Fiorito, both from Rome, Georgia, when a firearm was discharged. The weapon, a Glock, had been stolen by Zacher and Fiorito earlier from a vehicle in the Swan Lake Community, along with other items. During the incident, Long was struck in the pelvic area, and Fiorito sustained a gunshot wound to his hand.
Following the shooting, the three men made their way out of the woods, a journey that took about 15 minutes. They were picked up on a roadway and taken to a fire station on Burlington Road to seek medical help. From there, Long and Fiorito were transported to Atrium Medical Center. Despite medical intervention, Brandson Long succumbed to his injuries. His body was later sent to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation Crime Lab for an autopsy.
The initial account of the incident provided by Fiorito, claiming they were camping, quickly unraveled under police investigation. It was determined that their statements regarding the location and the events surrounding the shooting were false. Investigators discovered that after the shooting, an attempt was made to dispose of the firearm. A woman, later identified as 48-year-old Stephanie Eugenia Shuler of Rome, was accused of throwing the gun into the woods near a church on Shannon Circle Connector. The weapon was recovered by law enforcement the following day.
Initially, Tyler Michael Zacher and Jayden Patrick Fiorito were arrested on charges of making false statements and obstructing an investigation. However, as the investigation progressed, more serious charges were brought against them. Both men were subsequently charged with felony murder, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime, entering an automobile, and theft by taking articles from a vehicle. Stephanie Eugenia Shuler was also arrested and faced charges of tampering with evidence and obstruction for her alleged role in disposing of the murder weapon and misleading investigators.
