ALBANY, Ga. (WALB) — Residents across Albany say enough is enough after the city recorded 23 homicides this year. Residents now say they are tired of the East Side of Albany being labeled as a bad area because of the murders.

There have been 23 homicides recorded in Albany this year according to the Albany Police Department, compared to 16 in 2024. At least half of those homicides occurred in East Albany. The sound of basketballs bouncing and children’s laughter fills the East International Trojans practice facility, a stark contrast to the violence that has claimed more than 20 lives in Albany this year.

“We’re tired of being known for death,” said Coach Lawrence McCray.

McCray runs the East International Trojans youth program, which serves more than 500 boys and girls in the community. The organization provides one of the few consistent outlets keeping children engaged and supervised.

McCray said the program serves as more than athletics, functioning as a mentorship opportunity for youth in the area.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Albany Police: ‘We are losing our future generation’

Elijah Parks, a student who attends East International Trojans, said he is tired of the violence and credited the organization with helping him and his friends stay on a positive path.

“People are getting killed for nothing over something stupid,” Parks said. “I text him [Coach McCray] and tell him open the gym, blowing his phone up and telling my homeboys to come to the gym. So that’s why I come to the gym and if the gym isn’t open, I go to the Y or I go to a game. It’s good for their lives because you don’t want to be in the streets getting killed or having their momma go to their funeral.”

“Some people don’t have their daddy or momma in their lives, so they go in the streets and that’s why I tell them to come to open run,” Parks said.

Albany resident Ashley Jackson said the community needs stronger role models for young men.

“The gangs and the violence are not what you’re looking for. That’s not a road you want to go down on or a path. And we need better fathers to step up for these younger men to teach them how to be men to work for what you want. But they don’t speak enough on that, that’s not being talked about here in Albany,” Jackson said.

While East Albany has experienced significant violence, the other half of Albany’s homicides occurred throughout the entire city. Residents say the issue affects all of Albany, not just one neighborhood.

Community members are pushing back against being labeled while actively working to break the cycle through youth programs and community engagement.

McCray said he needs extra help from people in the community to lend a hand to the organization because the number of children attending is growing.

The East International Trojans program offers opportunities for community members to volunteer and support local youth initiatives.

Below are a list of the previous homicides for 2025.

1. Victim: Chelsea Milledge, 33 (Arrested: Eugene Barber, 21)
2. Victim: Jesus Arrango, 56
3. Victim: Justin Moore, 22
4. Robert J. Span Jr. (Arrested: Landon Carr, 30) 
5. Victim: Emory Jones Jr., 28 (Arrested: Morris Rogers, 25)
6. Victim: Nikita McGriff, 41 (Arrested: Timothy Timmons, 45)
7. Victim: Jamarion King, 19 (Arrested: Kayveon Lyles, 20; Jaquan McIntyre, 18; Markelvin Hicks, 22)
8. Victim: Patricia Duncan, 56
9. Victim: Darius Jackson, 33 (Arrested: Edtavis Smith, 34)
10. Victim: Christian Jones, 18 (Arrested: Chasside Balkcom, 18; Skyler Balkcom, 17; Tharia Harrell, 51; Makhail Watson, 18)
11. Victim: Rasheed Moore, 24 (Arrested: Charles Anthony Porter, 26; Anthony Hawkins and Shannon McClloyd, Jr.)
12. Victim: Leigh Bowen Dyson, 50 (Suspect: Allen Dyson, 59, died by suicide)
13. Victim: Malcolm Davis, 36
14. Victim: Terrence Mathis, 39 (Arrested: Johnny Martin, 24)
15. Johnthan Wimbish, 29
16. Victim: Unknown due to burning
17. Victim: Quintravion Carter, 20 (Arrested: Justin Scott, 19)
18. Victim: Jabion Jackson, 19
19. Victim: Michael McConnel, 64 (Wanted for questioning: Dallas Rhett White, 31)
20. Victim: Allen Plummer, 41
21. Victim: Sadarius Lewis, 38
22. Victim: Jazian Harris, 17
23. Victim: Lovontray Mikal Sims, 31

Dougherty Coroner Michael Fowler said he recorded 24 total homicides for 2025, but that number also includes murders outside of Albany city limits. We will update this story once his staff returns to the office after the New Year holiday and make any necessary additions.

Anyone with information about any of the cases is encouraged to contact Crime Stoppers at 229-436-TIPS, the Albany Police Department at 229-431-2100 or to submit an anonymous tip through the APD App.

Have a news tip or see an error that needs correction? Let us know. Please include the article’s headline in your message.

To stay up to date on all the latest news as it develops, follow WALB on Facebook and X (Twitter). For more South Georgia news, download the WALB News app from the Apple Store or Google Play.

Copyright 2025 WALB. All rights reserved.