Three Members of Athens Gang Sentenced for Fatal Shooting of 24-Year-Old

Attorney General Chris Carr announced the convictions of Anthony Brown, Glendarius Tate, and X’Zydric Faust for their roles in the March 5, 2023, fatal shooting of 24-year-old Ja’Vanni McDavid in Athens, Georgia.

The three men are affiliated with Everybody Killa (EBK), a hybrid criminal street gang based in Athens with connections to major national Bloods. EBK’s primary alliance is with Everybody Eats (EBE), another hybrid gang in the area. Both gangs are involved in an ongoing violent feud with Red Tape Gang (RTG), which has led to multiple shootings and homicides in Athens-Clarke County, including the deaths of McDavid and three-year-old Kyron Santino Zarco Smith.

“Those who turn a blind eye to gang activity are only allowing the problem to worsen, and the people of Athens-Clarke County deserve better,” said Carr. He noted the tragic loss of life due to gang violence, emphasizing that all Georgians deserve safety.

The case was prosecuted by Senior Assistant Attorney General Ryan Piechocinski, part of the Attorney General’s Gang Prosecution Unit. The Athens-Clarke County Police Department (ACCPD) and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s (GBI) Gang Task Force conducted the investigation with assistance from the Attorney General’s unit.

“This ongoing partnership is crucial to successfully removing criminal street gang members from the streets of Athens-Clarke County,” stated ACCPD Chief Jerry Saulters, pledging continued collaboration with the Attorney General’s office.

GBI Director Chris Hosey commented on the significance of the convictions, stating, “Today’s convictions reflect our unwavering commitment to combatting gang violence and ensuring justice for victims.” He highlighted the collaborative efforts of the Gang Task Force, the Attorney General’s office, and local law enforcement.

Since the establishment of the Gang Prosecution Unit in July 2022, 21 individuals have been indicted in nine separate cases, primarily involving the conflict between EBK/EBE and RTG. So far, the unit has secured 12 convictions in Athens-Clarke County.

Case Summary

On March 5, 2023, at approximately 12:15 a.m., Ja’Vanni McDavid and four of his friends left a party that was being held in the Five Points neighborhood of Athens. McDavid was driving his vehicle, and the four others were passengers. As McDavid stopped at the intersection of Northview Drive and Pinecrest Drive, a second vehicle passed through the intersection immediately next to McDavid’s vehicle. A few seconds after passing McDavid’s vehicle, the second vehicle, without provocation, stopped and multiple occupants of that vehicle opened fire on McDavid’s vehicle. McDavid and the occupants of his vehicle, in response to being fired upon, returned fire in the direction of the second vehicle. Ballistic and trajectory evidence suggests that McDavid was mistakenly struck by the return fire of one of the occupants of his vehicle. McDavid died as a result of that injury.

Detectives with ACCPD were quickly able to recover surveillance footage of the shooting and identified the second vehicle as a white Honda Accord. With the assistance of the University of Georgia Police Department, ACCPD was able to recover surveillance footage of the vehicle traveling to and from the crime scene. The Honda ultimately ended up at the Bethel Midtown Village apartments. Surveillance footage at the apartment complex showed four individuals, armed with firearms, entering and exiting that Honda Accord.

Detectives determined that the white Honda Accord belonged to Anthony Brown. Brown was located at his home in Athens and was quickly taken into custody. A search warrant was executed on Brown’s home and a 9mm pistol was recovered, which came back as a match to ballistic evidence located at the crime scene. During a subsequent interview of Brown, he admitted to driving the Honda Accord and shooting his firearm.

Further investigation determined that the other occupants of Brown’s vehicle were Jaden Appling, Glendarius Tate, and X’Zydric Faust. Appling and Tate were both arrested in Athens. They were interviewed and both admitted to being present in Brown’s vehicle and possessing firearms. Investigators determined that after the shooting, Faust fled to the State of Florida. With the assistance of the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office, Faust was taken into custody in Seminole, Florida.

The investigation revealed that McDavid was an associate of Red Tape Gang (RTG) and the defendants were members of Everybody Killa (EBK). When the defendants saw McDavid, an associate of their rival gang, they made the decision to open fire on his vehicle.

The State of Georgia is a Felony Murder State. As such, and because Ja’Vanni McDavid’s death was the direct result of the defendant’s unprovoked shooting, each of them was charged with directly causing McDavid’s death.