Damond Cain Stevens

A burst of gunfire in the early morning hours of Friday, May 22, 2020, shattered the quiet outside a Macon, Georgia, apartment complex, leaving one man dead and another injured. Damond Cain Stevens, a 38-year-old Black man, was fatally wounded in the incident, his death marking a grim milestone as the 25th homicide in Macon-Bibb County that year. Friends and family were left to mourn a man they loved, while investigators began the difficult work of finding who was responsible.

The shooting occurred around 12:30 a.m. outside the Bowden Homes apartment complex, near the intersection of Houston Avenue and Cynthia Avenue. When deputies from the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office arrived, they found two men suffering from gunshot wounds. Damond had been struck in his side, and another man, 25-year-old Jacorey Holloway, had been shot in the buttocks. Both were transported to The Medical Center, Navicent Health, for treatment. While Holloway’s injuries were considered non-life-threatening and he was expected to recover, Damond’s wounds were too severe. He was pronounced dead at the hospital, with the coroner later confirming he died from multiple gunshot wounds.

The Bibb County Sheriff’s Office launched a homicide investigation, with detectives trying to determine the events that led to the shooting. In the immediate aftermath, authorities had no information about a suspect or a motive for the violence. They appealed to the public for any information that could lead to a breakthrough in the case.

Less than a month later, on June 17, 2020, investigators announced a significant development. They had identified a suspect and issued warrants for his arrest on a charge of murder. The person they were searching for was 15-year-old Jay’ryon Deshond Earl Willis. The sheriff's office released a photograph of the teenager and asked for the community's help in locating him.

On April 13, 2021, a grand jury indicted Jay'ryon Willis for the murder of Damond Cain Stevens. The case moved through the court system, and in the fall of 2022, Willis, now older, stood trial. After hearing the evidence presented by the prosecution and the defense, a jury deliberated on his fate. On October 23, 2022, the jury returned its verdict, finding Jay'ryon Willis not guilty of the charges related to Damond's death.

In a tragic and violent turn of events, Jay'ryon Willis’s life was cut short just over a month after his acquittal. On the morning of December 6, 2022, the 18-year-old was shot and killed in a triple homicide at the West Club Apartments on Stevens Drive in Macon. Two other teenagers, 18-year-old Tyshaun Williams and 16-year-old Marcelles Williams, Jr., also died in the shooting, and an unnamed 14-year-old was injured.

With the acquittal of the only person ever charged in connection with the crime, the homicide of Damond Cain Stevens remains officially unsolved. The case is still open, and the investigation continues under the purview of the Bibb County Sheriff's Office. As of December 2022, no new suspects have been publicly identified. Authorities continue to urge anyone with information about the shooting that took Damond Stevens' life to come forward. Tips can be directed to the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office at 478-751-7500 or to Macon Regional Crimestoppers at 1-877-68CRIME.