Georgia Man In Body Armor Opens Fire On Black Family’s Reunion, Suspect Charged With Aggravated A$$ault

Jeffrey Tyler Kinzer

Georgia Man In Body Armor Opens Fire On Black Family’s Reunion, Suspect Charged With Aggravated A$$ault

A Leesburg, #Georgia, family’s weekend reunion turned violent Sunday night (June 7) when a man armed with an AR-15-style rifle allegedly opened fire on their gathering in what witnesses say was a racially motivated attack.

The Lee County Sheriff’s Office responded to the 100 and 200 blocks of Autumn Leaf Drive after receiving multiple reports of a shooting in progress, which deputies said began as a verbal altercation. According to witnesses, suspect Jeffrey Tyler Kinzer initially drove past the home, leaning out of a vehicle and hurling racial slurs at the group. Witness Ramell Green told local news that the family chose to let it go at first: “He’s talking junk. He started yelling the ‘N-word.’ He kept going so we let him go. We just discussed what had happened after.”
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The situation escalated sharply when Kinzer returned about five minutes later — this time dressed in body armor and carrying an AR-15-style rifle. With roughly 20 children and elderly adults present, those outside spotted the weapon and began to scatter. Green, a Marine veteran, said he stepped in when bullets started flying. “People started taking positions because they saw he had a g*n. And I was in the middle of the street,” he said. “And I grabbed my g*n and started returning fire and moving with him.” Another witness, Loucindi Broussard, described the terror of the moment: “It’s so hurtful. I cried all night. I’m laying outside on the ground for a shootout. I’m under a car with my sister who is 77 and I’m 62.”
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Kinzer was sh*t by a family member during the exchange and was taken to the hospital before being booked into the Lee County Jail on an aggravated a$$ault charge. The family is calling for more serious charges. Green made clear the group would not be intimidated: “We were having a family gathering. And it was a great family gathering. It was peaceful…He came and caused that to happen. And he found out that he’s not the only one that has training.” The sheriff’s office confirmed additional charges are expected.