WOODBURY, Ga. — An Easter party turned deadly in Woodbury on Sunday night.
The small town is in Meriwether County, which is about an hour from Atlanta, and has a population of just under 1,000 people. However, the party which was advertised on social media as an 'Easter Day Hangout' on Sunday brought in an additional 300-400 people according to Woodbury Police Chief Richard Wolverton.
The party was being hosted at a local venue along Highway 85 near Tulip Road from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m.
According to Chief Richard Wolverton, his sole officer on duty that night received a call from dispatch of shots being fired just after 9 p.m. He said as his officer was heading to the scene from the police station, which is less than a mile away from the party, the officer could actually hear shots being fired.
"He came up to a crowd of 300-400 people; it was very chaotic," Chief Wolverton explained.
In the middle of the chaos was a gunshot victim. Wolverton said his officer immediately called for backup from surrounding agencies.
At the location, the officer found a 22-year-old with a gunshot wound to the chest. Wolverton said his officer and a Meriwether County Deputy administered CPR until EMS could get to the scene. The 22-year-old victim, identified as Jaylen McGruder by the coroner, was rushed to the hospital but later died.
McGruder was from Pine Mountain, which is about 20 minutes away from the party. Wolverton said a majority of the people at the party were also from outside of Woodbury.
He said cars and people were parked not only at the venue but also in front and behind a neighboring liquor store, which was closed at the time, and even across Tulip Street in another grassy parking lot.
Wolverton said due to the fact he only has six sworn officers full-time and ten additional part-time officers, he requested the Georgia Bureau of Investigation to take over the case. As of late Monday night, no suspect has been arrested.
The GBI said there were several shooters and that there had been a fight that broke out. Wolverton said there were many shots fired, and several vehicles were hit and towed away from the scene as part of the evidence collection process.
This is Woodbury's first homicide of the year and its second since January 2023, police said. The 2023 homicide happened around the same time last year.
"It's very shocking; it's very unnerving to a lot of people, especially in a small town," Chief Wolverton said.
This is an ongoing investigation. Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the GBI Regional Investigative Office in Midland at 706-565-7888 or the Woodbury Police Department at 706-553-2211. People can also submit anonymous tips by calling 1-800-597-TIPS (8477), online or by downloading the See Something, Send Something mobile app, the GBI said.