In the early morning hours of Valentine's Day 2014, the life of a promising 20-year-old, Rashaad Spann, was tragically cut short in Savannah, Georgia. A former standout high school basketball player, Spann was discovered by police wounded inside a car near the east end of Hawaii Avenue around 2:14 a.m. He was rushed to Memorial University Medical Center, but succumbed to his injuries.
Rashaad Spann was an African-American male.
The investigation into the shooting moved swiftly, and later that same day, Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Police arrested 20-year-old Fashad Kennedy. Kennedy was charged with felony murder in connection with Spann's death. The two were known to each other, though a specific motive for the shooting was not immediately clear.
In August 2015, the case against Fashad 'Shad' Kennedy came to a resolution in court. He pleaded guilty to the reduced charge of voluntary manslaughter for the slaying of Rashaad Spann. Prosecutors stated their case was hampered by the refusal of a key detective to testify, which deprived them of Kennedy's confession. As a result of his guilty plea, Kennedy was sentenced to 15 years in prison for his role in the death of the former basketball star.
