Five charged in 2022 Hartwell bar shooting

Five men have been charged in connection with a 2022 shooting at Jack’s Bar and Grill in Hartwell, Georgia, which resulted in the deaths of Roberius Thornton, 39, and Joseph Johnson, 24. The arrests follow a nearly four-year investigation led by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI).

The individuals charged are Jo’Beau Almond, 33; Trenton Shoemaker, 24; Ke’Ardrick Tucker, 31; Kyairre Thomas, 25; and Contorious White, 21. Each defendant faces two counts of felony murder, 11 counts of aggravated assault, and 11 counts of possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony. Almond faces an additional charge of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

Law enforcement officials reported that Shoemaker was arrested on August 21, while Tucker and Almond were taken into custody on September 1. Thomas and White were already being held in separate jurisdictions on unrelated charges. The GBI noted that the investigation remains active and involved multiple agencies across Georgia and South Carolina.