A warm summer evening in Albany, Georgia, ended in tragedy on August 15, 2022, when two brothers were shot and killed. Alonzo Antonio Jones Jr., a 25-year-old Black man, and his younger brother, Keshawn J'Corey Griffin, 20, were found with fatal gunshot wounds in the 300 block of West Mercer Avenue. The Albany Police Department responded to the scene at approximately 9:17 p.m., finding a community and a family shattered by the sudden, violent loss.
Alonzo, born on July 15, 1997, was remembered by his loved ones as a "beautiful soul gone too soon." His brother Keshawn, born May 22, 2002, was a 2020 graduate of Westover High School. An ambitious young man, Keshawn had attended Albany Technical College and earned a certificate as a licensed commercial truck driver in 2021. His family recalled his love for being surrounded by family and friends.
The two brothers were honored with a shared funeral service at Rehoboth Bible Church on August 27, 2022, before they were laid to rest together at Union Memorial Cemetery.
The initial investigation by the Albany Police Department’s robbery-homicide division led detectives to believe the double homicide was the result of a drug deal that had turned violent. As investigators delved into the case, they began to identify several individuals they believed were connected to the killings. In September 2022, police publicly identified 35-year-old Jeremiah Bernard White as a person of interest and asked for the public's help in locating him. He was described as being 5'9" and weighing around 148 pounds.
A significant development came in February 2023, when the Albany Police Department announced charges against a married couple. Keanu Mizell and her husband, Ambakisye Mizell, were each charged with felony murder in the deaths of Alonzo and Keshawn. At the time the charges were announced, both were already incarcerated on unrelated matters. Keanu was being held in the Dougherty County Jail, while Ambakisye was in the Cobb County Jail.
Ambakisye Mizell was facing a separate murder indictment in Cobb County for a fatal shooting that occurred in Vinings in August 2022, just weeks after the Albany killings. Police also revealed that a third suspect believed to be involved in the brothers' shooting had died by suicide during the course of the investigation. Despite the charges against the Mizells, authorities stressed that the case was far from closed.
"So there will be more warrants taken out on some other individuals. But at this here time, we do have the main suspects on this, which are the Mizells, the husband and wife," Lataevia Jackson, a sergeant in the robbery-homicide division, stated in a public appeal. "It takes the community to help us in these types of incidents because we’re not there during the time of the crime."
As of the last public updates in February 2023, the investigation into the murders of Alonzo Jones Jr. and Keshawn Griffin remained active. While the primary suspects were in custody, law enforcement continued to seek more information and pursue leads on other individuals potentially involved. The case against Keanu and Ambakisye Mizell is proceeding through the justice system. The families of the two young brothers are still awaiting a final resolution and justice for their loved ones.
Anyone with information regarding the case or the whereabouts of Jeremiah Bernard White is urged to contact the Albany Police Department at (229) 431-2100 or Albany CrimeStoppers at (229) 436-TIPS.
