‘He just snapped’: Grandmother of slain toddler in south Columbus shooting speaks

COLUMBUS, Ga. (WTVM) - More than 24 hours after the killing of a toddler and the shooting of his mother, Columbus police have found and arrested the suspect – the child’s father.

After a Monday morning shooting at Liberty Commons Apartments in south Columbus, four-year-old Jacquese Walker, Jr.’s grandmother, Ernestine Freeman, and aunt, Marjae Connerly, mourn his death and pray for a miracle for the child’s mother, who survived the shooting.

“How I feel? I’m good ‘cause she don’t have to be afraid no more, " said Freeman.

It’s been three days since Freeman lost her grandchild, and she is hurting but is hopeful her daughter, Marshama Bolden, will be okay after being shot.

“She’s ready to get that thing out of her throat. She’s ready to talk, but she’s doing good,” said Freeman.

Bolden, a mother of three, is healing as she mourns losing her only son, Jacquese Walker, Jr., named after the same man accused of murdering the child.

“I want him to rot in jail. That’s what I want,” said Connerly, the aunt.

Columbus police say 35-year-old Jacquese Walker, Sr. is charged with killing his son and shooting the child’s mother. Why he turned the gun on the mother and son is still unclear, but what is clear is the pain this accused killer has caused the family.

“He always hated every time my sister was happy, and that’s the main reason he probably shot the baby. Because that baby loved my sister,” said Connerly.

“He just snapped,” said the grandmother.

Freeman, a California native, says Walker, Sr. shot her daughter four times in the chest and shot the child in the head. The grandmother adds she saw the signs of abuse long ago but thought her daughter would get away before things turned deadly.

“It’s been happening all the time, but like I said, I can’t do nothing about who my child loves,” said Freeman. “You’re a son of a b***h, and how dare you do that to my daughter?”

According to police, shortly after the Monday morning shooting, Walker, Sr. crashed into another car on Morris Road, and police had been searching for him since.

On the evening of Sept. 19, after an almost 36-hour manhunt, Walker, Sr. was arrested and taken to the Muscogee County Jail, where he is scheduled for a preliminary court hearing on Sept. 21 at 9 a.m.

As for the child’s mother, Marshama Bolden, the family says she remains in the hospital. Anyone who would like to assist the family in paying for four-year-old Jacquese Jr.’s service can donate to a GoFundMe set up by his aunt and family.

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