Fort Valley man describes scene as folks fled deadly shooting. ‘So many people running.’
A man who lives across the street from the scene of a deadly shooting at a Fort Valley homecoming party said people were so terrified as they fled through his yard that they ran out of their shoes.
Michael McGhee, a Fort Valley native, said his neighbors typically throw a large party on Carver Drive to celebrate the nearby Fort Valley State’s homecoming. He said he was inside of his house across the street early Saturday morning with his family when people began running through his backyard.
Then he heard shooting.
“Initially, we saw people running, and then gunshots,” McGhee said. “It was around 1:30 [a.m.] when the gunshots started, and there was probably a good two-to-three minutes of shooting. There were several people shooting, I heard several different types of guns.
“So many people were running... I found five or six shoes in my backyard.”
McGhee said there were law enforcement officers at the party most of the night, but added that there were hundreds of people and music was being played.
The GBI is investigating the incident, and McGhee said Peach County Sheriff’s deputies, a tactical team from Houston County, Fort Valley police and state police were also on the scene. Investigators are canvassing the neighborhood, he added.
Peach County Sheriff Terry Deese said investigators are looking for more than one person.
“We’re pretty sure there were multiple shooters,” he said. “Definitely more than one.”
Peach County Coroner Kerry Rooks identified the victim as Tyler French, 27. French was pronounced dead at 3:03 a.m. in a Macon hospital.
Fort Valley State University confirmed French was not an FVSU student. The university canceled its Saturday morning homecoming parade and alumni breakfast.
A football game this afternoon between FVSU and Clark Atlanta University is still scheduled, but with increased security, a university spokesperson said.
Telegraph reporter Joe Kovac Jr. contributed to this story.
This story was originally published October 23, 2021 at 12:49 PM.
