What should’ve been a nice family celebration quickly turned into a nightmare for one South Georgia family. A man is accused of yelling racial slurs at them and shooting at them with an AR-15-style rifle.
Jeffrey Tyler Kinzer was arrested on Sunday, Lee County deputies reported. He was charged with aggravated assault. He was released the next day on a $5,000 bond, according to court records.
Deputies were called to a home on Autumn Leaf Drive in Leesburg, Georgia, after they received reports of a shooting in progress.
Keishana Wilson posted several videos on TikTok showing what happened before authorities arrived.
She told the Atlanta Black Star her family had gathered to celebrate her grandmother’s birthday.
“Imagine gathering with your family, celebrating your grandmother’s birthday and the end of a family reunion, only for someone to drive by yelling racial slurs,” she said. “He came by twice trying to provoke us.”
In the first video, a group of people is casually walking around until they hear gunshots. The chaotic scene shows people scrambling to get back inside the house as the sound of the gunshots gets closer.
“When he didn’t get the reaction he wanted, he went home, put on body armor, armed himself with an AR-15, and returned to attack our family,” Wilson wrote in the caption.
Many people were shocked by the fear in Wilson’s voice as she and her family ran for their lives.
“This is terrifying. I’m so sorry this is happening,” @MichelleD82 added.
“We are not safe people. Please be careful. I’m so sorry you experienced this,” @BunnieD wrote.
“All we want is to be left alone smh, prayers to your family, I hope you all find some kind of peace,” @jaii commented.
Deputies noted one person was shot in the incident.
Wilson spoke exclusively with the Atlanta Black Star about what happened.
“The only person injured was the man who chose violence,” Wilson said.
Kinzer was taken to the hospital before he was booked into the Lee County Jail. Wilson said a member of her family returned fire after seeing Kinzer approach the home.
Authorities said he admitted to being involved in the shooting. Investigators also recovered an AR-style rifle and body armor from the scene.
Investigators also determined that multiple firearms were used during the incident. There were also multiple damaged vehicles.
Another video shared by Wilson shows a white SUV honking and driving slowly past a group of people, as someone hangs out the window.
“F—king n—-r,” the individual yelled as the SUV drove away.
There were roughly 20 children and older adults at the family gathering. Kinzer is not facing any child endangerment-related charges.
Wilson accused Kinzer of getting special treatment because he’s friends with the Lee County District Attorney.
“An officer took him to the hospital,” she told the Atlanta Black Star. “When the first officer came out, my son asked why is it only one officer?”
The officer told Wilson’s son the response was small because in most cases, the shooter leaves the scene before police arrive.
Wilson noted that the officers were treating her family like they were suspects, and not victims.
“I guess they didn’t believe us or take our word for it,” she said. Wilson added that Kinzer was free to leave the scene with the officer.
Some members of the community accused Kinzer’s wife, Jessalyn, of driving the car as Kinzer yelled the slur at the family.
Dr. Jalia Taylor, a member of the community, accused Jessalyn Kinzer of being racist.
“A racist nurse at Phoebe Memorial Hospital by the name of Jessalyn Kinzer and her racist husband Jeffrey Kinzer attempted to kill children!!” Taylor wrote on Facebook.
Atlanta Black Star called the hospital to see if Kinzer still worked there. When her name was mentioned, the person on the other end hung up.
“I was advised that she resigned,” Wilson told the Atlanta Black Star.
According to arrest records, Jessalyn has not been charged.
Wilson told the Atlanta Black Star that the investigators did not inform her family that Kinzer had been released.
“We had seen online people were saying that [Kinzer] is already out of jail on a $5,000 bond,” she said. “The investigators assured us that he was still back there.”
Wilson said she has yet to confront investigators about the situation. Jail records confirmed that Kinzer was released on Tuesday.
“Why our kids, why would you do such a hateful thing to a family because you don’t like the color of their skin? We did nothing to him. We did nothing to you. So why would you attack us simply because our skin is darker than yours?”
Deputies said they are hoping to locate additional video evidence and witnesses from this incident. If you have any information, please call the Lee County Sheriff’s Office at 229-759-6012.
