Fort Valley Police Department addressing recent violent crimes in same area

A teenager is dead after a shooting at an apartment complex in Fort Valley over the weekend.

August 22, 2022

Lizbeth Gutierrez,

Fort Valley community reacts to string of violent crimes

FORT VALLEY, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) — A teenager is dead after a shooting at an apartment complex in Fort Valley over the weekend.

Resident Barbara Carson recalls the moment the shooting happened.

“It was terrible, and whoever it was, I know they got injured, hurt or killed because it was so powerful,” Carson said.

The shooting, which the department responded to just before 5:30 a.m. Saturday, is the second in the same area in the last month. According to the Fort Valley Police Department, this incident started at College Square Apartments and ended at St. Luke Lane.

Police say no arrests have been made, and the investigation is still ongoing.

The shooting has left residents like Phaethon Freeman concerned for her safety.

“I mean at 5:20 in the morning is exactly what time it was, I didn’t know what to think,” Freeman said. “I just see that it hasn’t gotten any better.”

In July, a shooting at nearby Lakeview Apartments left a toddler dead and another injured.

One suspect in that case, Christopher Miller, has been arrested in that case. Captain Cory Marberry with Fort Valley Police says there is no reason to believe Miller was targeting the children.

Miller is currently being held at the Peach County Jail. No date has been set for his first court appearance.

Police say they’re taking action to make sure these violent crimes don’t happen again. The department hosted a ‘Stop the Violence Rally’ over the weekend. The goal, according to Captain Marberry, was to reach out to the community.

“We literally walked Lakeview, made contact with everybody we could, knocked on doors just to let them know, ‘We’re here to help you, and we want this to stop just as much as you do,'” Marberry said.

Sandra Marshall attended the rally and is hopeful for change.

“I know that the Fort Valley Police Department, the DA and everybody involved are doing their best,” Marshall said. “But another thing that we have to do as a community is come together and save ourselves.”