Blake Shurling was a 20-year-old Georgia Southern University student from Tennille, Georgia, who died in the early hours of August 31, 2016, after deputies found him at a residence in the 1000 block of Planters Lane in Statesboro with a fatal gunshot wound. Public reports and his obituary describe a young man anchored in family and school; the shooting happened among people who knew one another rather than as a random attack.

Authorities said Shurling and 20-year-old Coleton Weatherford were well acquainted, and investigators believed alcohol played a significant role in the incident. Weatherford, also identified as a Georgia Southern student living on Planters Lane, was arrested and charged with felony involuntary manslaughter, reckless conduct, and discharging a firearm while under the influence; early coverage reported he was held in the Bulloch County Jail with no bond set at that stage.

If anyone knew Blake, his friends, or the circumstances that night, please share information that could help clarify what happened.