CAMDEN COUNTY, Ga. — As the investigation continues into what happened the morning 37-year-old Latoya James was shot and killed in Camden County, a community activist is taking matters into her own hands.
This case hits close to home for Andrea Baker, quite literally, as it was her father’s rental home where shots were fired May 4.
“It’s sad that it happened there," Baker explained.
The home off Highway 17 sits empty more than two weeks after James was killed. Her cousin 46-year-old Varshaun Brown, who lives there, is still in a Jacksonville hospital with gunshot wounds, according to the James' family attorney.
“It hurts me to come back three years later, and this young lady lose her life," Baker said fighting back tears. "A lot of it was because people in the community didn’t stand up.“
She became invested in the 2018 police killing of Tony Green, a Black man who was shot multiple times by a Kingsland officer after a traffic stop.
“Tony green had become a part of me. Like a child I never knew but wanted to fight for," Baker described.
She did her own personal investigation into the case and wrote a book about her findings.
Now, Baker's starting a new dig, and calling on more community members to fight for answers for Latoya James and her family.
“It’s time for a change. It really is," she explained. "And to have the second killing here in three years – it’s senseless. It’s time for the people to stand up. I have grandchildren and greatgrands, and I want to see things better for them.”
You can learn more about or purchase Baker’s book, "Injustice in Camden County: The Tony M. Green Story", here.