On the night of August 24, 2024, a meeting at Pleasant Grove Park in Dalton ended in gunfire that killed 18-year-old Robert Valencia and three other young men. Valencia and 17-year-old Daniel Segura-Cruz had driven from Rome to meet 19-year-old Joshua Pedro Pelico-Pelico and 21-year-old David Antonio Delgadillo from Dalton; the meeting was reportedly to exchange contraband. Deputies found all four victims dead when they arrived about 11:14 p.m. Evidence at the scene indicated both groups had arrived armed, witnesses described the gunfire as massive, and investigators said robbery was a possible motive. The two young men from Rome had brought items to conceal their identities.

A joint investigation by the Whitfield County Sheriff’s Office and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation produced arrests: a 16-year-old from Rome was arrested the day after the shooting and later indicted on multiple charges, and in February 2025 an 18-year-old, Andres Jared Guzman, was arrested and charged with murder. Authorities say they are still seeking additional suspects. A makeshift memorial was placed at the park and Rome City Schools added security and counseling for students affected by the loss.

Did anyone in the community see activity near Pleasant Grove Park that night or know more about who was at the meeting?