The defendant allegedly connected to a shooting on December 28 in Dellwood has been denied bond. Jachon Tydarian Mills appeared last Wednesday, January 27, before The Honorable Tommy J. Smith, Superior Court Judge for the Middle Judicial Circuit, in the Emanuel County Courthouse.
Warrants were issued for Mills’ arrest following the shooting death of one individual, 21-year-old Dajarius Zashawn McGuire of Adrian, and the injury of party, 21-year-old Daniqua Sanders of Swainsboro.
The investigation into the alleged crime suggests between the hours of 6:30 and 7 p.m. on Monday, December 28, both victims were together riding along Highway 1 South in one car while Mills, trailing behind them in another, opened fire as the result of animosity between the occupants of the vehicles. The passenger in the front vehicle, McGuire, was killed and the driver, Sanders, was injured in the gunfire. (She was treated and later released from Emanuel Medical Center.)
Sheriff Jeffrey Brewer said at the time of the shooting the incident was not random. That information stands today.
The warrants taken for Mills’ arrest were on the grounds of felony murder, three counts violation of the Street Gang Terrorism & Prevention Act, two counts aggravated assault, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony. Those same charges were mentioned during his bond hearing last week.
Mills’ whereabouts were unknown after the shooting and remained as such until he surrendered himself days later on January 4. Around 3:20 p.m. that day, he surrendered himself to the Emanuel County Jail. After being processed into the jail, he was transported to the courthouse for his first appearance hearing, where he was held without bond. He remains jailed after Wednesday’s bond denial.
Although Mills’ address reflects a residency of Stone Mountain, he has ties to the local area in that he is a native of Swainsboro and attended school here.
Anyone with information about this incident is urged to contact the Emanuel County Sheriff’s Office at 237-7526 or the Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s Eastman office at 478-374-6988. Tips can also be submitted by calling 800-597-TIPS (8477), online at https://gbi.georgia.gov/submit-tips-online, or by downloading the “See Something, Send Something” mobile app.
Preceding Mills’ bond hearing, the court read a number of true bills returned from the latest session of Emanuel County Grand Jury. For more information about those bills, see page 13.