Gang member convicted of murder in 2023 Statesboro shooting that killed teen

by WTOC Staff

STATESBORO, Ga. (WTOC) - A Bulloch County jury on Friday found Lucas Lopez Fields guilty of malice murder and several other charges in the Aug. 20, 2023, shooting that killed 17-year-old Jabari Nasir Walker, according to District Attorney Catherine A. Sumner’s office.

Verdict and sentence

Jurors also convicted Fields of felony murder, two counts of aggravated assault, robbery by force, theft by receiving stolen property and three counts of violating the Street Gang Terrorism and Prevention Act. The district attorney’s office described the case as a gang-related robbery and shooting.

Superior Court Judge Ronnie Thompson sentenced Fields to life in prison plus 15 years immediately after the verdict.

What prosecutors presented

Prosecutors presented evidence that on Aug. 20, 2023, Statesboro police responded to a report of a robbery by force. A man told officers that several male suspects took his belongings and drove away.

Less than an hour later, officers were called to a home after a report of a shooting. They found Walker, who had died from multiple gunshot wounds.

Investigators tied the two incidents to a vehicle that had been reported stolen to the Bulloch County Sheriff’s Office. Police and sheriff’s investigators recovered the vehicle after it was abandoned.

Arrests

Detectives spent the next two months serving search warrants and interviewing witnesses.

On Nov. 9, 2023, four people, including Fields, were arrested on charges tied to the homicide and to participation in street gangs, the district attorney’s office said. Fields has been in custody since that arrest.

Agencies thanked

In a statement after the verdict, the district attorney’s office thanked investigators, law enforcement partners and forensic experts from the Statesboro Police Department, the Bulloch County Sheriff’s Office, the GBI Crime Lab and the FBI’s Cellular Analysis Tracking Team.

The statement said their work “brought this defendant to justice and secured closure for Mr. Walker’s family.”