In the early hours of Sunday morning, April 28, 2024, the small town of Fitzgerald, Georgia was rocked by a shooting at a post-prom party, leaving a community in mourning. The incident resulted in the death of 15-year-old cheerleader Chyell Paulk and injuries to four others.
The shooting happened around 1:10 a.m. on East Pine Street, sending four other victims to the hospital. Paulk was transported to Dorminy Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead.
Two males, aged 14 and 15, sustained injuries, and a 19-year-old female was wounded and has already been released from the hospital. Another 15-year-old male was critically injured and airlifted to a hospital in Macon.
The shooter, 17-year-old Channen Brown, was arrested by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. He has been charged with felony murder, three counts of aggravated assault, and possessing a gun during the commission of a felony. Brown is being charged as an adult under Georgia law, given his age. Currently, there is no public record of him appearing before a judge or having legal representation.
According to Irwin County High School Principal Jared Luke, Paulk was a freshman with a “loving spirit and always a smile on her face.” The tragedy of losing such a young life was deeply felt throughout the community, with Luke expressing profound sadness over the event.
Chelsie King, Paulk’s mother, conveyed her shock and grief to reporters, expressing her inability to comprehend the tragedy. “I’m just numb. I can’t even wrap my head around it. She was 15 with a full life ahead of her,” she said.
The violence didn’t stop at the prom party shooting. On Monday, April 29, at approximately 2:48 p.m., police reported a drive-by shooting near the Bridge Creek Apartments in Fitzgerald, believed to be a retaliatory act following Paulk’s death on Sunday. Two men, aged 21 and 24, were injured while on a porch. The older man was airlifted to a Mason hospital with a leg injury, while the younger was taken to a Tifton Hospital after being shot in the upper thigh.
On Monday, Fitzgerald declared a curfew for individuals under 17, effective from midnight to 6 a.m.