Calhoun man charged in connection with Christmas Eve fatal shooting

May 14—A third man was charged in connection with the shooting death of Jordan Chase McDougle, 22, of Cassville, who was brought into a Calhoun hospital on Christmas Eve 2020.

Jaylon Montreal Alexar Williams, 25, of 640 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Calhoun, was booked into the Whitfield County jail on March 30 by the Dalton Police Department for conspiracy to commit a felony, according to a jail report. He was released on a $2,500 bond on April 22, according to a jail employee.

Two Atlanta men are charged with felony murder for the death of McDougle, Gregory Brent Grier, 27, and Issac Hickman, 17. Grier is in the Whitfield County jail. Hickman is in custody in Fulton County for probation violation and awaiting extradition to Whitfield County.

"Our investigation determined that Mr. Williams was involved in the planning to commit the shooting and had knowledge of the plan in advance and therefore was charged with conspiracy," said city of Dalton Communications Director Bruce Frazier.

Frazier declined to answer questions about what led to the shooting.

"Some of those details are still under investigation so I don't have a lot more to release in terms of motivation," he said. "I'm hoping that we'll be able to tell more of the story soon, but right now some of the details are still being nailed down by our investigators."

According to a Dalton Police Department incident report, around 2:28 a.m. on Dec. 24, officers responded to reports of shots fired at 626 Fourth Ave.-apartment 4 and in the area of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, McAfee Street and Fourth Avenue.

"There were several holes on the lower level of the apartment complex and several more holes on the top level of the apartment complex," the report said.

The report said an officer saw "what appeared to be bullet fragments outside of the apartment and damage to the wooden railing and vinyl siding" that appeared to be from gunshots.

"There were several shell casings found on the basketball court behind the apartment complex," the report said. "There were two different caliber shell casings found at the scene, which indicates there was likely two different weapons that were used in this event."

The report said "the entire south side of the 626 Fourth Ave. building had what appeared to be several bullet holes ranging from the top to the bottom of the building and the left to the right of the building."

The report said the windows, walls and appliances of apartments had damage from bullets.

The 911 caller from apartment 4 did not speak English, but with her 8-year-old daughter translating, the parents and the daughter told police they were sleeping and were awakened by "a loud noise." They heard one shot and a car drive off. The shot came into their apartment at approximately 2 to 2:25 a.m. The family hid behind a wall until officers arrived. An officer saw a bullet hole in the wall and there was also damage to the stovetop oven.

A man who lived on Chestnut Street, who was the first caller to report "shots fired," told an officer he was standing on his porch around 2 to 2:15 a.m. when he heard 10 to 12 gunshots coming from the southeast. About 10 to 15 seconds later he heard three to four more gunshots, which sounded like they were further away. He said he believed they were coming from the area of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.

A third person told an officer she heard people in a neighboring apartment "arguing loudly."

"She then heard a male from the neighboring apartment go outside and continue to loudly talk," the report said. "She stated she then heard three to four gunshots from the area of the parking lot."

She stated "she believed that her neighbor fired several shots." She could not provide a description of the person "other than he is a black male."

She said after the shots were fired "she hid in her apartment and then heard what sounded like people hiding objects in the ceilings or walls in the neighboring apartment," according to the report.

A Dalton Police Department press release said, "The Dalton Police Department began an investigation with the assistance of the GBI (Georgia Bureau of Investigation) of a shooting that happened on Fourth Avenue with shots apparently being fired at the apartment buildings at 626 Fourth Ave. There were no other victims of that shooting. Investigators determined that McDougle was shot during that incident ..."

The Dalton Police Department obtained warrants for the arrests of Grier and Hickman on Feb. 12. Grier was in the Clayton County jail at that time.

A Calhoun Police Department incident report said an officer was sent to AdventHealth Gordon around 2:46 a.m. on Christmas Eve after a report of a gunshot victim. The report said before the officer arrived dispatch informed him the man had died.

The report said McDougle appeared to have a single gunshot wound to the upper abdomen.

The report said the officer was told based on nurses' statements that "two black males wearing all black arrived at the ER door in an older dark in color four-door car and honked the horn twice."

"The driver and passenger exited the car and went to the driver side back door of the car and opened it," the report said. "They pulled the victim from (a) rear seat, carrying him into the hospital, yelling that he has been shot. They then assisted the victim into a wheelchair and pushed him to the trauma room."

The report said when a nurse asked what the man's name was, one said, "John Doe."

"After that both males ran out of the hospital and left the scene," the report said.