Royal Stephens Westbrooks, 41, was shot and killed in Cusseta, Georgia, in the early hours of Sunday, May 19, 2024. Law enforcement from the Chattahoochee County Sheriff’s Office responded to the 100 block of McNaughton Street at about 2:54 a.m., and first responders found Westbrooks at the scene; he was pronounced dead from his injuries. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is leading the active homicide probe at the Chattahoochee County Sheriff’s Office request. No details about suspects or arrests have been released so far.

Westbrooks is remembered by friends and family as sociable and caring, a truck driver who loved his family and ran a local barbecue spot called The Hidden Grill. Anyone who was in Cusseta that night or who knew Westbrooks and might have information about the shooting is asked to come forward.