GAINESVILLE, Ga. — Police have arrested one teenager and are searching for another in connection with a shooting that killed an 81-year-old Navy veteran outside a Gainesville Walmart.
The Hall County SWAT Team arrested 18-year-old Kamari Nehemiah Tilmuth, of Gainesville, early Sunday, Oct. 18, while executing a search warrant. He is charged with felony murder, four counts of aggravated assault and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime.
Police are still searching for 17-year-old Erron Lamar Dorsey, also of Gainesville, who faces the same charges.
The arrests stem from the Oct. 14 shooting death of James Edward McDaniel, who police say was an innocent bystander.
Investigators said two groups of males confronted each other inside Walmart before the dispute spilled into the parking lot. During the confrontation, Tilmuth and Dorsey allegedly fired at a group of males.
McDaniel was leaving the store at the opposite end of the parking lot when he was fatally struck. He was not involved in the dispute, police said.
Teams of local, state and federal investigators have been working uninterrupted, around the clock, on the case, according to Gainesville police.
“Our team is committed to working around the clock to identify and arrest everyone involved in this tragic homicide. Our thoughts and prayers remain with Mr. McDaniel’s family and all those who have been deeply affected by this tragedy,” Gainesville Police Chief Jay Parrish said.
McDaniel’s family remembers him as a loving husband, father and grandfather whose greatest joy was spending time with those he loved.
According to a family fundraising appeal, McDaniel enlisted in the U.S. Navy shortly after turning 18 and continued serving in the Navy Reserve. He later worked for the post office for 23 years before retiring.
He and his wife, Gloria, shared a decades-long marriage and raised four children.
“Our hearts are completely shattered as we share the sudden and tragic loss of our beloved James McDaniel,” the family wrote.
Relatives have organized a fundraiser to help cover unexpected final expenses and support Gloria.
“Our family is now leaning on one another through an unimaginable wave of grief, shock, and heartbreak,” the appeal states.
Parrish also expressed sorrow over the loss.
“Our hearts are broken for the family and friends of Mr. McDaniel. No words can adequately express the sorrow we feel for them. This gentleman was simply trying to go about his day, provide for his family, and return home to those who loved him. Instead, they are left to pick up the pieces and try to make sense of a senseless act of violence committed by criminals who have no regard for anyone other than themselves.”
The Gainesville Police Department credited the Hall County Sheriff’s Office, Georgia Bureau of Investigation, FBI and Acting Hall County District Attorney Jennifer Bagwell and her staff with assisting in the investigation.
Anyone with information about the shooting or Dorsey’s whereabouts is asked to call the Gainesville Police Department’s tip line at 770-533-5873 or submit information through the online tip portal at gainesville.org.
Police urged the public not to approach or attempt to apprehend Dorsey. The investigation remains active and ongoing.
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