Timothy Byrd was a 31-year-old cook from Vidalia, Georgia, remembered by family as outgoing, smart and joyful who loved his family deeply. On the late morning of December 12, 2024, police were called to the Vidalia Village Apartments on Randolph Drive after a report of a person shot in the leg. Officers arriving about 11:40 a.m. found Timothy suffering from multiple gunshot wounds; he was taken to Memorial Health Meadows Hospital and did not survive.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation joined the Vidalia Police Department in a joint homicide probe. Investigators identified a single suspect, 27-year-old Ja'meak Rashod Byrd of Vidalia. A warrant was secured, and on December 31, 2024 he was arrested and initially charged with murder and aggravated assault; a grand jury later returned indictments for malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony. If anyone knew Timothy or was at the Vidalia Village Apartments that morning, please share what was seen or heard.