Timothy Hunt was 27 and from Naylor, Georgia, when he was shot and killed on Sunday, June 2, 2024, at a residence on Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue in Lakeland, Lanier County. The Lakeland Police Department opened the investigation and asked the Georgia Bureau of Investigation for help; the GBI worked the case with the Lanier County Sheriff’s Office, the Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office and the Georgia State Patrol.

On June 26, 2024, authorities announced arrests in the case: 17-year-old Tommy Manning and three 16-year-olds identified as J’mari Gates, Keamon Grant and Kavion Brown. Manning, Gates and Grant face multiple counts including Party to the Crime of Murder, Party to the Crime of Aggravated Assault, Party to the Crime of Armed Robbery and violations of the Georgia Street Gang Terrorism and Prevention Act. Brown was charged with Party to the Crime of Aggravated Assault, Party to the Crime of Armed Robbery and violations of the Georgia Street Gang Terrorism and Prevention Act.

The four were booked at the Lanier County Sheriff’s Office and are being held in separate facilities. The investigation remains active and the case file will be referred to the Alapaha District Attorney’s Office when complete.

If anyone in Lakeland or Lanier County has information about Hunt, the scene on Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue or the days around June 2, please come forward.