Tyreek Lester

Tyreek Lester was a 27-year-old man from Savannah, Georgia, whose life was intertwined with the city's streets. A neighbor who knew him for years in the Live Oak neighborhood considered him and the other man killed with him to be "like family." His life, however, also included several encounters with the law. In August 2017, at age 18, he was arrested for carrying a concealed weapon while in the company of a man wanted for murder in South Carolina. The following year, in May 2018, he was arrested by Savannah Police on a murder warrant from Jasper County, South Carolina, in connection with the March 2018 shooting death of 20-year-old Lamman Alston in Hardeeville. More recently, in August 2023, he was arrested after a standoff with police in Hardeeville, where he had barricaded himself inside a home with his girlfriend and two-year-old son. At that time, he was wanted on charges of violation of street gang terrorism as part of a larger indictment in Chatham County that included 18 other individuals.

On the afternoon of Sunday, November 8, 2026, Tyreek was with another 27-year-old, Dashon Lawrence, near the intersection of East 33rd and Cedar streets on Savannah's east side. A witness later said one of the men was visiting family in the area. At about 2:15 p.m., an SUV drove up, and one or more occupants opened fire at close range in what authorities immediately described as a targeted, drive-by shooting. The gunfire struck both men, as well as multiple nearby cars and houses, shattering the neighborhood's peace.

When police arrived, they found a chaotic scene. A city alderman, Detric Leggett, who was in the area, rushed to help, performing CPR on one of the victims while a female police officer who was first on the scene rendered aid to the other. Despite their efforts, Tyreek Lester was pronounced dead at the scene. Dashon Lawrence was rushed to Memorial Health University Medical Center, but he, too, succumbed to his injuries. The Chatham County Coroner confirmed both men had been shot at least once and scheduled autopsies.

The Savannah Police Department launched an investigation into the double homicide. Detectives and officials began reviewing footage from neighborhood Flock cameras and residents' Ring doorbell cameras, which captured images that aided the investigation. Alderman Leggett noted that investigators worked through the night, determined to hold someone accountable. He also stated that he believed the shooting was an intentional homicide, not a random act of violence, given the close range of the gunfire.

At the time of his death, Tyreek was out of jail on an ankle monitor while awaiting trial for a separate crime. He was a suspect in the 2023 killing of Wanya Pringle, and that case was still proceeding through the court system. News reports also noted that Dashon Lawrence was a registered member of the Bloods street gang. When asked if these affiliations could have been a motive for the shooting, officials stated it was too early in the investigation to say for sure.

The shooting left the Live Oak neighborhood grieving and calling for an end to the violence that had plagued their community. The double homicide brought the number of shootings in the immediate area to at least five in 2026 alone, which had previously resulted in six men being injured. A neighborhood association president who had lived in the area for over 47 years lamented how the community had changed, with residents becoming afraid to sit on their own porches. Another local alderwoman, who had also lost a child to violence, expressed her pain for the two mothers who had just joined a "club" no one wants to be a member of.

As of November 2026, no arrests had been made in the killings of Tyreek Lester and Dashon Lawrence. The Savannah Police Department's investigation remains ongoing. Authorities have urged anyone with information to contact CrimeStoppers at 912-234-2020 or to submit a tip through the police department's mobile app.