Alton Cotton was 57 and a well‑known, much‑liked member of Fort Valley, Georgia, when he was shot on the afternoon of Saturday, February 22, 2020. A longtime participant at the Kay Center for people with developmental disabilities, Cotton worked on the landscaping crew and had been a Special Olympics Athlete of the Year (1995) and a World Games competitor (1999).

Police say a verbal argument on Troutman Avenue involved Cotton and 46‑year‑old Dereckson Clark. Witnesses reportedly urged Clark to leave, but he went to his vehicle, fetched a revolver, returned and told Cotton he was tired of being bothered before firing. Cotton was taken to a hospital with a gunshot wound and died. Clark surrendered to the Peach County Sheriff’s Office later that day.

The community and the Kay Center mourned Cotton’s loss; his niece described him as someone who seemed invincible and a defender of others. The case proceeded through the courts, with a grand jury indictment and later trial developments. Does anyone have memories of Alton or information about that afternoon that could shed more light on what happened?