Valdosta police relieved no bystanders hurt in mid-day shooting near busy intersection
By T.S. Carter
VALDOSTA, Lowndes County, Georgia – A victim of a shooting at a Valdosta Circle K drove himself to South Georgia Medical Center (SGMC) Hospital around 12:45 a.m. on Sunday, March 23 after suffering multiple gunshot wounds to his torso, Valdosta police said.
The shooting occurred near a busy intersection Northside Drive in mid-day, leaving police relieved neither motorists nor bystanders were harmed.
Police did not identify victim other than to report his age at 22. They reported he was in stable condition the next day, Monday, March 22.
Another man identified as 21-year-old Jaquevius King sustained a gunshot wound to a knee in the early afternoon shootout at the Circle K, 425 Northside Dr.
Police booked King into the Lowndes County Jail after he received treatment at SGMC for the wound. King is charged with
- aggravated assault (felony) and
- possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony (felony).
Through investigation and evidence collected at the scene, detectives determined that King and the other man, who are known to each other, had an altercation at the Circle K. During the altercation, King pulled a firearm and shot the man, police said.
After being shot, the 22-year-old retrieved a gun and shot back at King, striking him in a knee.
The outcome could have been much worse, according to Chief Leslie Manahan.
“At 12:45 in the afternoon, on a Sunday, at one of the busiest intersections in the city, we are extremely lucky that this reckless disregard for the public’s safety did not injure any innocent bystanders,” Manahan said.
Anyone with information about the shooting is encouraged to call the Valdosta Police Department Bureau of Investigative Services at 229-293-3145, the crime tip line at 229-293-3091, or file a tip online at www.valdostacity.com/police-department.
