On the late morning of December 17, 2024, gunfire erupted on Fern Street in Thomasville, Georgia. Officers arriving at 113 Fern Street around 11:53 a.m. found 25-year-old Edward Payne Haygood with multiple gunshot wounds; he was taken to Archbold Memorial Hospital and died later that day.

The investigation involved the Thomasville Police Department, the Thomas County Sheriff’s Office, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, the Boston Police Department, and the Georgia State Patrol. By 10:50 p.m. that same evening, 15-year-old Larry Thompson III was arrested nearby in the 300 block of Fern Street and charged with felony murder, malice murder, aggravated assault, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime; he was detained at a Regional Youth Detention Center and a judge denied bond at the initial appearance.

Edward Payne Haygood, known to many as Eddie, was born June 17, 1999. His obituary described him as respectful, helpful, and goofy, and noted he had overcome epilepsy and had learned to walk again after a prior shooting left him paralyzed. The investigation is ongoing.

If anyone knew Eddie or has information about what happened on Fern Street that day, please share what is known with investigators.