After a 4-year-old boy who was shot last week in Griffin died at a Macon hospital Wednesday night, the charges against two suspects already in custody were upgraded to second-degree murder. One of the suspects is the boy’s mother, Griffin police said.

The boy, who has not been identified, was shot at an apartment on Poplar Street on Feb. 3, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution previously reported.

His mother, 24-year-old Jamacia Lyons of McDonough, and James Lee Evans, 20, of Griffin, were both initially charged with cruelty to children and reckless conduct. Lyons and Evans each remain in the Spalding County Jail without bond, online jail records show.

It’s not clear what relationship Evans had with the child. He had been out on bond after being accused of gang activity and theft by receiving, Griffin police said at the time.

The boy was the seventh child to be injured by gunfire in metro Atlanta this year. He is the fourth child to die.

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People join a rally in support for U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention employees on Tuesday afternoon, April 1, 2025, at the Atlanta headquarters after federal cuts triggered significant layoffs. (Photo: Jenni Girtman for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

Credit: Jenni Girtman