Dashon Lawrence

Dashon Lawrence was a beloved 27-year-old man known to his neighbors in Savannah, Georgia, as being like family. Patricia Johnson, the president of the Live Oak Neighborhood Association, remembered Dashon and another young man from the community, Tyreek Lester, visiting her home when they were younger. She said they weren't just random people who came into the neighborhood; they were considered family by those who had known them for years.

A bright Sunday afternoon was shattered by gunfire on November 8, 2026, in Savannah's Live Oak neighborhood. Around 2:15 p.m., officers from the Savannah Police Department responded to reports of a shooting near the intersection of Cedar and East 33rd streets. When they arrived, they found two men suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. One of the men, 27-year-old Tyreek Lester, was pronounced dead at the scene. The other man, Dashon Lawrence, was rushed by paramedics to Memorial Health University Medical Center, but he succumbed to his injuries at the hospital. The Chatham County Coroner, David L. Campbell, confirmed that both men had been shot at least once and scheduled autopsies.

According to police sources, the attack was brazen and direct. The assailants approached Dashon and Tyreek on foot, opened fire, and then fled. Savannah Mayor Van Johnson later described the double homicide as a targeted attack. The shooting left residents of the Live Oak neighborhood grieving and calling for action to address the persistent violence in their community. The incident was one of at least five shootings documented in the surrounding midtown area in 2026, which had collectively left six people injured and, with this attack, two dead.

The Savannah Police Department launched an investigation into the double homicide. Mayor Johnson stated he expected the department to use every available resource to identify those responsible and bring them to justice. He acknowledged that while the city had made progress in reducing violent crime, that progress offered little comfort to the grieving families. In the days following the shooting, police had not announced any arrests or publicly established a motive for the killings.

The tragedy sparked renewed calls from residents for a greater police presence and more surveillance cameras in the neighborhood. Patricia Johnson, who had lived in the community for over 47 years, lamented how fear had changed the area, noting that some residents were now afraid to even sit on their own porches. District 3 Alderwoman Linda Wilder-Bryan, who lost her own child to violence, spoke of the pain the two mothers had joined. "We got mothers, and now we got two mothers who’ve joined this club that I’m in. I’m a member for life," she said. Mayor Johnson defended the police response at the scene, while the alderwoman raised concerns about how officers handled the traumatic incident and treated grieving family members.

As of November 2026, the investigation into the murders of Dashon Lawrence and Tyreek Lester was ongoing, with no arrests made. The violence was condemned by city leaders, with Mayor Johnson stating, "This violence remains unacceptable, and we will not allow it to become normal in our city." Authorities have asked for the public's help in solving the case. Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the Savannah Police Department or to submit an anonymous tip to CrimeStoppers at 912-234-2020.