EATONTON, Ga. — Xavier Chambers, the man investigators say shot and killed two Eatonton teens Sunday night, bailed out of jail a month ago on another murder charge but in Baldwin County.
Now, he's charged with murdering two teens in Putnam County.
Putnam County Sheriff Howard Sills says Chambers is also known to be a gang member in the Milledgeville area.
"He was well-known to the Baldwin County Sheriff's Office. We contacted them early on into the scene when we only had the name PJ -- didn't have his actual name then. They were able to readily identify who PJ was from prior criminal activity," Sills said.
According to Assistant District Attorney Tony May, 19-year-old Xavier Rashad Chambers is accused of killing Wydelric Denson outside a Milledgeville home in August 2019. Chambers was arrested three months later.
Chambers sat in jail for more than a year before being indicted this past March. Although murder suspects are rarely granted bond, May says Chambers was entitled under state law. That's because more than 90 days passed between his arrest and his indictment.
Last February, a judge set Chambers' bond at $150,000. May says Chambers repeatedly asked for the bond to be reduced, but in May--just a month ago--he posted bond.
But weeks later, Chambers was back in court on different murder charges.
He was restrained by his wrist and feet as he walked in for his first appearance after being charged with the murderers of 19-year-old Roman Felton Rowell and 16-year-old Jeremiah Desean Walton--both of Eatonton.
According to the GBI, around 7:40 p.m., Eatonton police responded to a fight at Lawson Drive and tried to break up a large crowd outside the apartment building. Officers left the scene, but about an hour later, police heard shots fired. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation says Chambers began firing into the crowd.
"I responded to the scene. There was a tremendous crowd of people that came from I don't know where," Sills said.
Sills says when he got to the scene, there were multiple shell casings. "That was indicative to me that more than one person was firing a gun," Sills said. The sheriff says, based off evidence, he believes Chambers was the shooter who killed the teens.
He added that he believes the shooting was gang-related and that Chambers is a known member of the Bloods gang.
"It's ridiculous. It's beyond ridiculous," Sills said. "We got a problem in this country where no one gives a damn about the law anymore."
The GBI says Chambers is charged with two counts of malice murder, two counts of aggravated assault and one count of possessing a firearm with altered identification.
So far, the GBI has not explained what lead to the shooting or why Chambers allegedly opened fire. Anybody with information on the case can contact Eatonton Police at 706-485-3551 or the GBI’s Milledgeville office at 478-445-4173.