A Savannah man wanted in connection for his involvement in the 2012 Coastal Empire Fair shooting and a 2012 shooting on River Street was captured at a local apartment complex in Savannah on Tuesday by the U.S. Marshals Service Southeast Regional Fugitive Task Force, the Savannah-Chatham police department, and the Chatham County Sheriff’s Office.
On Sept. 11, 2013, Tashard Kelly Orr was indicted on a true bill by a Chatham County grand jury on 10 counts of aggravated assault, 23 counts of violation of the Georgia Street Gang Terrorism and Prevention Act, nine counts of possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, two counts of felony murder, one count of carrying a weapon without a license, one count of possession of marijuana less than an ounce, one count of trafficking marijuana, and two counts of criminal attempt to commit a felony, said Stewart Cottingham, task force spokesman.
Orr had been on the run from the charges in this indictment since September 2013 and is allegedly a member of the Hell Hole Gang. Orr’s arrest caps a 97-count indictment rendered by a Chatham County grand jury that deals a devastating blow to the Hell Hole Gang’s activity in Savannah, Cottingham said.
The charges partially stem from the shooting death of Tiyates Lamont Franklin, 19, on River Street on the morning of Sept. 1, 2012. That shooting, in part, led to a confrontation between the Hell Hole and Tatemville gangs in which eight people were shot at the fair in November 2012, said Julian Miller, metro police spokesman.
Orr’s case was referred to the Savannah Office of the United States Marshals Southeast Regional Fugitive Task Force on Nov. 20. An extensive investigation to arrest Orr was conducted by SERFTF. Information was generated on Tuesday that Orr was hiding at an apartment complex on Rainbow Court on the west side of Savannah. SERFTF units and supporting agencies identified and surrounded the apartment. Orr was taken into custody without incident and transported to the Chatham County jail.
Bryan County student killed in accident
Bryan County High School student Thomas Lang, 16 was killed Jan. 24 in a traffic accident in Bulloch County, according to school Principal Dawn Hadley.
“He was walking on Eldora Road on side or the road, a car on the other side of the road attempted to pass another vehicle and struck him,” Hadley said. “It came off the side of the road and hit him.
He was killed on impact.” The accident occurred about 7 p.m.
Bryan County High School had counselors on hand at the school Monday for students if needed.
“He had a small but very tight group of friends. He had had the same girlfriend since seventh grade,” the principal said.
According to Hadley, Lang had recently been exploring entering a dual enrollment program with the high school and Ogeechee Technical School in Statesboro.
“He met with a counselor a few weeks ago to talk about it,” she said. “He was interested in dirt bikes and mechanical things.
Lang was a 10th-grade student at Bryan County High.
Compiled by Josh Rayburn and Jamie Parker