In the early hours of April 14, 2019, a prom-related party at a rental hall called The Stage in Adel, Georgia, was broken up by gunfire. Officers arrived shortly before 1 a.m. to find many people fleeing. Two people were found with gunshot wounds nearby: an 18-year-old Emmanuel Whitehead was located at a convenience store several blocks from the hall and was later pronounced dead at South Georgia Medical Center in Valdosta; a 19-year-old male was found shot in a nearby business parking lot. A third juvenile suffered minor injuries.

Investigators from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation described the shooting as gang-related. In May 2021 a Cook County grand jury returned a 16-count indictment charging three Valdosta men — Dashay Antwan March, Ra-Shay Marquez March, and Taurian Javon Wertz — with felony murder, violations of the street gang terrorism and prevention act, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, and aggravated assault. All three were already in custody on other charges at the time of the indictment and the case is proceeding through the Georgia courts.

Emmanuel had recently completed training as a National Guardsman. Does anyone have information about that night or about Emmanuel’s movements leading up to the shooting?