In the summer of 2023, the life of SerMario Sen'Quez Watkins, Sr., a 32-year-old male, was tragically cut short on June 10th in Albany, Georgia. The incident, which unfolded on the 200 block of N. Broadway St., was the result of gun violence. This event marked the second gun-related fatality in Albany in just two days, prompting an investigation by the Albany Police Department.
Following the shooting, authorities began a search for those responsible. The investigation led them to identify a person of interest, and their efforts culminated in arrests by September of that year. The U.S. Marshals Service apprehended 25-year-old Tommy Charles Stewart III at a residence on Georgia Avenue. Stewart was taken into custody on several outstanding warrants connected to Watkins's death.
Stewart was subsequently transported to the Dougherty County Jail, where he faced a string of serious charges, including murder, aggravated assault, armed robbery with a firearm, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime. In connection with the case, 29-year-old Samquithera Tyshon Gaines was also arrested and charged with hindering the apprehension or punishment of a criminal. During the execution of a search warrant at the residence where Stewart was found, law enforcement recovered two firearms. Authorities are investigating whether these weapons are linked to other open cases within the city.
