In the late afternoon of Sunday, October 1, 2023, the city of Fitzgerald, Georgia, was disturbed by the sound of gunfire. At approximately 2:30 p.m., officers from the Fitzgerald Police Department were dispatched to the 600 block of East Sultana Drive following a 'shots fired' call. Upon their arrival, they discovered a white Kia Sportage that was stopped at a stop sign and not moving. Inside the vehicle, they found 31-year-old Markevios D. Jenkins, a male resident of Fitzgerald, unresponsive in the driver's seat. He had sustained multiple gunshot wounds and was pronounced dead at the scene.
The Fitzgerald Police Department requested the assistance of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation to lead the homicide investigation. As the investigation progressed, authorities identified several suspects. On Wednesday, October 4, 2023, the GBI, with the assistance of the Fitzgerald Police Department, took two 17-year-old suspects into custody: Shannon Demond Belmer Jr. and Anthony McCray, both of Fitzgerald. Further investigation led to the identification of two additional suspects who were already in custody on other charges. In total, four individuals were charged in connection with the shooting death of Markevios Jenkins. The case file will be handed over to the Cordele Judicial Circuit District Attorney's Office for prosecution.
