Justin Jamil Foster, a 26-year-old Black man, was killed in the early morning hours of April 26, 2014, after gunfire erupted at the Chevy Club on Cave Spring Road in Rome, Georgia. Police reported the shooting happened around 3:15 a.m.; Foster was pronounced dead at the scene and an autopsy found he had been shot in the back. Three other people were wounded; their injuries were described as non-life-threatening and at least two of the wounded were identified as Desmond Whatley and Desmond Johnson.

Investigators named Randy Clowers as the suspect and said arrest warrants were issued in connection with Foster’s killing. Prosecutors later described a confrontation that followed someone being punched; authorities said Clowers pulled a gun and opened fire, aiming at another man and striking Foster, who was not involved in the dispute. Court reporting states Clowers pleaded guilty in October 2015 to Foster’s murder and received a life sentence with the possibility of parole plus five years; coverage said the plea also covered other violent incidents and resulted in concurrent sentences for charges including aggravated assault and participating in gang activity. Foster’s family asked for a life sentence and expressed concern for his young son’s future.