New details released in shootings that left 1 man dead and 2 others injured
SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) - New details in a pair of weekend shootings near popular Savannah nightlife areas leaving one man dead, and two others injured.
Police say a man was seriously hurt after being shot near West Bay and Montgomery Streets just before 1 a.m. Sunday.
Then less than half a mile away, a man was shot and killed at Congress and Whitaker Streets around 1:30 a.m.
Another person was also injured in that shooting.
Both of these shootings happened near areas where hundreds of people were out at bars and restaurants.
Investigators say they don’t believe the shootings are connected and the family of the man who died is grieving.
Dispatch call: “Shots fired behind DoubleTree. 411. We got guys on the ground shot. Need EMS. 411 West Bay Street.”
New dispatch audio is painting a chaotic picture of a night filled with gun violence in Savannah.
After the West Bay Street shooting police arrested 18-year-old Marques Booth and charged him with aggravated assault.
Less than an hour later.
Dispatch: “I need units and crime scene tape now.”
Police say a man died after a shooting at Whitaker and Congress Streets.
A Savannah police spokesperson later identified the victim as 33-year-old Ryane Swims Jr.
Swim’s family members say the military veteran moved to the area in the last couple of years.
WTOC spoke over the phone with a woman who says she’s Swim’s aunt.
“Nobody ever wants to lose their child and to not be there to hold your child’s hand or see him in his last moments. That’s the worst part for everybody,” Ryan’s Aunt Angela Hill said.
She’s now pleading for people to come forward with answers as the investigation continues.
“Somebody’s gotta know something.”
Last year a slew of shootings in this area prompted officials to put up flood lights in nearby Ellis Square with the goal of deterring crime.
Authorities have not yet announced any arrests in the Whitaker and Congress Street shooting.
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