Five Arrested in 2022 Hartwell Bar Shooting That Killed Two, Injured Several Others

HARTWELL, Ga. – Five men have been charged with murder and dozens of other felony counts in connection with a 2022 shooting at a Hartwell bar that left two people dead and several others injured.

The arrests come nearly four years after the Sept. 5, 2022, shooting at Jack’s Bar and Grill, where 39-year-old Roberius Thornton of Hartwell and 24-year-old Joseph Johnson of Bowman were killed.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said Ke’Ardrick Tucker, 31, of Bowman; Jo’Beau Almond, 33, of Hartwell; Kyairre Thomas, 25, of Canon; Contorious White, 21, of Anderson, South Carolina; and Trenton Shoemaker, 24, of Hartwell have been charged in connection with the shooting.

Each man 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 also faces a charge of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

Shoemaker was arrested Aug. 21 and booked into the Hart County Jail.

Tucker and Almond were arrested Sept. 1 and also booked into the Hart County Jail.

Thomas was already being held in the Stephens County Jail on unrelated charges, while White was in custody in South Carolina on unrelated charges, according to the GBI.

The agency did not provide details about what led to the shooting, the roles each defendant is accused of playing or what evidence developed during the nearly four-year investigation that led to the charges.

Multiple law enforcement agencies in Georgia and South Carolina assisted with the investigation and arrests.

The GBI said the investigation remains active. Anyone with information about the shooting can contact the agency’s Regional Investigative Office in Athens at 706-552-2309.