David “Sky” Whatley is an up-and-coming Georgia-based singer who is best known for his Southern soul songs, including “Just Won’t Break (The Strong Woman’s Anthem)” and “I Love Me Some Me.
But many people who were unfamiliar with him are now learning who he is, and it’s not because of his music.
Whatley is now facing charges following a viral video of him striking a woman in the face during a performance in suburban Atlanta in September.
Whispers on the internet resurfaced weeks later. The woman, identified as Shamika Boyd, spoke out after different angles of the incident emerged online.
Whatley has not responded publicly about his actions, but he’ll soon have to answer for them in court.
On Oct. 3, the New York Post reported that a warrant has been issued for Whatley on charges of simple battery. As of this writing, he has not been arrested.
In a longer video posted by NC Beat, Boyd was seen dancing freely at the front of the stage. She held one leg up on the wall, leaving the other one down while Whatley reached for her. The woman didn’t reach back, so he continued singing onstage.
Next, a man from backstage can be seen approaching Boyd to get her down. But she continued dancing near the stage.
But one striking moment went viral during Whatley’s performance at the Legendary Awards Show at the Londzell Performing Arts Theatre in Tucker, Georgia on Sept. 6.
The most-shared video shows Boyd standing at the front of the stage, reaching out to Whatley as he sings “Waffle House at 2am.”
Boyd attended the show to support her daughter, who was DJing the event, so it’s unclear whether she was reaching for her instead of Whatley.
He initially reached out to grab Boyd’s hand, but she started wriggling her fingers instead of grabbing his hand back.
It’s unclear whether they exchanged words, but next, Whatley instantly swung one open hand out and swiped it across the woman’s head.
“When he hit me, I was devastated because I’m thinking, ‘Why did he hit me? He had no reason to hit me,” Boyd told local station 11Alive
The video shows Boyd reeling to one side from the impact of Whatley’s slap. She said she was hit so hard that the composite material in her teeth came out and she was left with two black eyes.
“I did nothing to him. He was in no harm, no threat, or anything,” Boyd told 11Alive. According to her, Whatley took things a step further than the slap.
“Then, to add insult to injury,” she said, “After he flipped me off, he was like, ‘F— you, b—. This is for the real men.”
Boyd’s daughter, Jada Boyd, said she didn’t know what happened until later on.
“I wouldn’t let (any mom) go through something like that, especially for them just supporting their kid,” she told the outlet.
Instagram users responded to the news about Whatley being charged but not arrested.
One person calling for him to be arrested said, “Arrest him !! DO NOT Leave this situation unfair ! He is a dangerous man.”
Another person wrote, “They would have been arresting me for taking the law in my own hands. Sorry.”
A third social media user disgusted by his behavior typed, “He needs to go to jail! What the $&@ was that?!!”
Georgia attorney Shannin Render, who is representing Boyd, questions why Whatley has not been arrested yet.
“They’re just not doing their job,” Render told 11Alive, “I’ve done this for about 10 years now, and when there’s an active warrant, you get picked up. Especially with something of such notoriety.”
Render said law enforcement has decided to let Whatley turn himself in. He has since turned his Instagram page private.
Meanwhile, Boyd is seeking compensation for medical treatment and possible loss of income.
