Photo: iStockphoto
ByJennifer LifseyandSean Evans
Published:Jun. 11, 2021 at 4:28 AM UTC|Updated:12 hours ago
SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) - Police are investigating an early-morning shooting on W. Bay Lane in downtown Savannah that left one man dead.
According to the Savannah Police Department, an adult male was shot in the parking lot near Hotel Indigo on Bay Street around 3 a.m. That man has been identified as 30-year-old Maurice Griffin. He was taken to the hospital with life-threatening injuries where he later died.
Friday afternoon police arrested 22-year-old Adrian Stewart on a charge of murder.
SPD says at this point in the investigation, it appears this began as an altercation between the Griffin and Stewart, resulting in them meeting at the location where shots were fired and Griffin was shot.
“Eventually that led to some individuals being involved in another confrontation over by Hotel Indigo, which ended in one party suffering a gunshot wound,” said Savannah Police Chief Roy Minter.
Chief Minter said investigators don’t believe this was a random incident.
“It’s concerning that it happened anywhere in our city, whether it’s downtown or not. We’re continuing to see these situations where individuals are getting into confrontations and altercations, and it’s ending in some type of gun violence.”
The latest crime data available shows the number of assaults with guns used is up, by about 18 cases compared to the same time last year.
“The last thing we want to see is individuals trying to resolve some type of altercation or confrontation by use of a firearm.”
Anyone with information is asked to call SPD’s Violent Crimes Tip Line at (912) 525-3124 or Crimestoppers at (912) 234-2020. Tipsters remain anonymous. Tips can also be submitted through a CrimeStoppers online tip portal byclicking here. Tipsters may qualify for a reward of up to $2,500, depending on the severity of the crime.
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