The life of Keyunte Stephens, a 22-year-old Black man, was cut short by gun violence in his hometown of Albany, Georgia. On December 6, 2023, police responded to a call about a shooting on the 600 block of Willard Avenue. When officers arrived, they found Keyunte deceased at the scene. Two other people had sustained serious injuries in the incident: his 44-year-old father, Germaine Stephens, and a 19-year-old woman named Zenobia Tucker. Both were transported to a hospital for treatment.
The investigation quickly led to the identification of several suspects. Police arrested Tray’veon Westbrook, 20, and Tyshaundre Jackson, 20, after they reportedly fled the scene on foot. Both men were charged with one count of murder for Keyunte’s death and two counts of aggravated assault for the injuries to the other victims. A third person, 35-year-old Basharia Tucker, was also arrested and charged with tampering with evidence in connection to the investigation.
All three were taken to the Dougherty County Jail.
In a surprising development a week later, the investigation turned toward one of the surviving victims. On December 13, 2023, upon his release from the hospital, Keyunte’s father, Germaine Stephens, was arrested. He was charged with felony murder, two counts of aggravated assault, possession of a firearm during certain crimes, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
According to a statement from the Albany Police Department, Germaine Stephens faced these charges because he “introduced the act of gun violence and assault...which led to multiple victims being assaulted and one being killed.” As of December 2023, four people had been charged in connection with the shooting that resulted in Keyunte Stephens’s death. The investigation is ongoing, and authorities ask anyone with information to call Crime Stoppers at (229) 436-TIPS or an investigator at (229) 854-0103.
