Sammy Watson, 20, was found shot to death the evening of Saturday, February 4, 2017, in a large open field behind the former Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School on Hosea L. Williams Drive in Atlanta. Family members had been with him shortly before he was discovered; he did not live far from the location where his body was found. The Atlanta Police Department responded to reports of gunfire near the Edgewood Court Apartments on Hardee Street and located Watson’s body in an area described as roughly the size of two football fields.

Investigators used K-9 units and a helicopter while searching the expansive field and recovered spent cartridges and casings near the victim. Police initially reported no witnesses and asked anyone with information to come forward. On February 8, 2017, 17-year-old Jeremy Hogens, who lived at the nearby Edgewood Court Apartments, was arrested and charged with Watson’s murder and held without bond. A celebration of Watson’s life was held on February 18, 2017.

If anyone saw activity near the school or Edgewood Court Apartments that night or has information about what happened, please share what is known.