1 dead, 2 injured at shooting at graduation party in Macon, officials say

A man died and two others were injured in a shooting at a graduation party in Macon early Saturday, Bibb County officials said.

Then an argument broke out, the Bibb County Coroner’s Office told The Telegraph.

“Disagreement, blaming and so forth,” Deputy Coroner Ronnie Miley said.

Deputies were dispatched to a report of a person shot just before 2:30 a.m. at 1524 Williamson Road, the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.

They found three people with gunshot wounds, the sheriff’s office said. It was unclear whether the shooting took place inside or outside the house.

But it appeared that someone at the party had fired shots and that it wasn’t a drive-by shooting, Coroner Leon Jones told The Telegraph.

Miley pronounced Jaurice Markel Haywood, 25, of Macon, dead at the scene, the sheriff’s office said.

Two other men, ages 23 and 24, had injuries from “multiple gunshot wounds,” Jones said.

An ambulance took the 23-year-old to Atrium Health Navicent Emergency Room, where deputies said he was in stable condition. But Jones said he was in critical condition.

The 24-year-old was taken in a personal vehicle to a hospital, where he was in critical but stable condition, deputies said.

Details under investigation

The party began at a different location before moving to the house, Jones said.

“It was a graduation party for someone that graduated out of state, and they were having a party for him,” Jones said. “It must have ended (at the house) because these places have cut-off times.”

A lot of people were at the house when Miley arrived, but it was unclear whether they all witnessed the shooting, he said.

“By the time I got there, people would have arrived on the scene, people hear things, see about things, and they come to the scene,” Miley said. “Family members, friends, they come to the scene.”

An argument started while officials investigated the scene.

“People were doing that little disagreement thing while the investigation was going on,” Miley said. “Nothing too serious, just some people fighting, verbal disagreement.”

The shooting was still under investigation Saturday afternoon. It was unclear whether anyone had been arrested.

Deputies urged anyone with information about the shooting to call the sheriff’s office at 478-751-7500, or Macon Regional Crimestoppers at 1-877-68CRIME.

This story may be updated as more information becomes available.

This story was originally published May 17, 2025 at 2:18 PM.