Latest homicide puts Bibb past total for 2017

A man was found shot dead on a Macon street Saturday.

At about 7:20 p.m., deputies responded to a report of a person shot on Burke Street, according to a Bibb County Sheriff’s Office news release. They found a man lying in the street with multiple gunshot wounds.

The victim was identified as Michael Antwan Chapman, 30. He was taken to the Medical Center, Navicent Health, where he was later pronounced dead.

The shooting happened near the intersection of Houston Avenue. There is no description of a suspect.

The homicide is the 31st of the year for Bibb, surpassing the total of 30 for 2017. Coroner Leon Jones called for a public service campaign to stop the violence.

“Nobody wants to back down anymore,” Jones said. “You cannot be confrontational on every issue. Nobody wants to walk away. You are no less a man or a woman to walk away from a confrontation.”

Chapman was a construction worker who was dedicated to his job and was not involved in crime, said his girlfriend, Pamela Mitchell. The two had a baby together.

“He was laid back, very silly,” she said. “He liked to be playful. He didn’t harm nobody. He was a good person. He kept a smile on his face and he kept a smile on everybody else’s face.”

She said that four years ago, the father of another child of hers was shot to death.

“It’s sad,” she said of the violence in Macon. “They need to put the guns down.”

Jones said the most homicides on record for a year in Bibb County was 37 in 1992.

He said it’s likely there is one more homicide this year that has not been officially declared. Jeffery Burke, 55, died Sept. 9, 84 days after he was severely beaten at a Father’s Day cookout. Burke had been in the hospital for two months and died at home after being released. The death has not been officially ruled a homicide because tests are pending, but Jones said he expects it will be ruled a homicide.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the sheriff’s office at 478-751-7500 or Macon Regional Crimestoppers at 1-877-68CRIME.

This story was originally published September 16, 2018 at 7:35 AM.