On the night of January 17, 2026, 17-year-old Raheem Hampton was killed in a drive-by shooting in his own Walnut Street neighborhood in Thomson, Georgia. The shooting occurred at about 9:55 p.m.; Hampton and another teenager, 18-year-old Daquerion Howard, were taken to a hospital in Augusta. Hampton died of his injuries at the hospital. Howard was treated and released.

Hampton was a student at Thomson High School and had plans to attend technical school after graduation. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is leading the homicide probe with the Thomson Police Department. Authorities say the investigation is ongoing; no suspects have been publicly identified and no arrests have been announced.

If anyone witnessed the shooting or has information that could help the investigation, please contact the Thomson Police Department or the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.