Georgia sheriff makes impassioned plea to parents of children involved or interested in gangs

SPALDING COUNTY, Ga. — Jacqueris Holland, 22, was shot and killed late last month.

His killers have not been found, but the Spalding County Sheriff’s Office have continued to search for those responsible.

Sheriff Darrell Dix took to Facebook on Monday, where he described Holland’s character after learning more about him through deputies’ investigation.

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“Jacqueris was a cosmetology student at Southern Crescent Technical College,” the post said. “He was a good student who was making good grades. He was well liked by other students and staff. His goal was to save his money and open his own barber shop. He was cutting hair as a side job and was nearer to his goal than ever.”

Holland was traveling on North Hill Street near the old People’s Choice Club, when a silver car flew past him and fired gunshots into his car, striking him twice in the upper body, deputies said.

According to deputies, Holland eventually stopped his car, walked to the front of it and collapsed, where he died lying in the middle of the road on North Hill Street, alone.

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As the post continued, Dix said in the course of their investigation, no one police have spoken to who knew Holland had anything negative to say about him.

“You always hear people in news interviews talking about how the person who was killed was ‘getting their life together,’ ‘going to college,’ ‘had goals,’ and ‘was a friend to people,’ ‘was loved by everybody that knew him’. I can tell you that Jacqueris Holland was not that guy. Jacqueris was not working on it, Jacqueris Holland was it,” Dix said.

Dix said his department, with the help of the Griffin Police Department are working several motives, but said he believes Holland’s murder was gang-related.

“At this point, I want to emphasize that Jacqueris Holland had no criminal record and no gang affiliations himself,” Dix said. “He was going to school, living his life, working hard to achieve his goals, and by all indications was just a great young man who was loved by so many people.”

Dix said parents who have children involved or emulating the gang lifestyle need to stop them before they suffer the consequences of leading a life as a gang member.

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“Parents, if you have young men and young ladies who glorify the gang lifestyle and emulate what they see represented to them by those people, you need to step up, be a parent, and stop them now if you love them,” he said. “If you don’t, chances are that you’ll end up as another parent with a child either in prison or in the ground.”

Their investigation is still ongoing.

The post in its entirety can be read here.

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