Wanya Pringle

Wanya Kevon Pringle was a 23-year-old Black man from Savannah, Georgia, described by his mother as her best friend and her everything. The bond between Wanya and his mother, Makara Pringle, was inseparable, and he was her only child. Known for his catchphrase, “You betta scream that,” his spirit is kept alive by family and friends who remember him.

In the early morning hours of Monday, July 24, 2023, his life was cut short. Shortly after midnight, Garden City Police Department officers responded to a 911 call about shots being fired at The Pines Apartment Complex on Priscilla D. Thomas Way. Arriving at the scene, they found Pringle suffering from gunshot wounds. Despite receiving medical aid, he was pronounced dead. A reporter at the scene noted nearly 30 bullet holes in an apartment door. A second person was also injured in the shooting but was treated at a hospital for non-life-threatening injuries and later released.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) was asked to take the lead on the death investigation. Their work quickly identified a person of interest, and on August 1, 2023, agents arrested 20-year-old Jalon Alexander Jackson of Savannah. Jackson was charged with murder and making false statements in connection with Pringle's death.

As the investigation continued, a second suspect was identified. In October 2023, Tyreek Keith Lester was indicted in connection with the fatal shooting. Upon the completion of the investigation, the case was set to be turned over to the Eastern Judicial Circuit District Attorney's Office for prosecution.

As of March 2026, the case was proceeding through the court system, and Pringle’s family was still waiting for justice. On what would have been his 26th birthday, his family and friends gathered for a cookout to celebrate his life with music and shared memories. His mother explained that honoring her son’s life helps her navigate the grief of losing him. “We miss him, he was taken from us too soon,” she said. “I will never have that kind of love ever again.”