Cierra Ford was 25 and a communications student at Clark Atlanta University when she was killed in a November 25, 2016 shooting at a Sandy Springs, Georgia townhome. Ford, described by family as intelligent and charismatic, was found shot in the head and died at the scene; her boyfriend, Tyrique Lobban, was shot three times and critically wounded but survived. The attack followed an internal dispute within a New York-based gang and was aimed at Lobban, who is identified in reports as a gang leader.

Investigators identified four suspects, all from New York. Three — Joseph Clarke, Devin Kingdom, and Malik Ortiz — were arrested in Florida on December 6, 2016; a fourth suspect, Gregory Battle, remained at large. Devin Kingdom was convicted on murder and multiple related charges and received life plus 10 years. Malik Ortiz was acquitted of the homicide charge, with jurors deadlocked on other counts; Joseph Clarke’s case was still pending. A prosecution witness, roommate Jabar Brady, later died by suicide in New York shortly before trials began.