Previously in “Final Moments,” we witnessed the case of Alyssiah Wiley, who got murdered by her boyfriend, someone she trusted a lot. In this episode of “Final Moments,” we will be talking about Lamont Adair, a pro basketball player who was going to play internationally. He was an advocate of non-violence and inspired people in his community. What is his story? Let’s find out.
Lamont Adair was also known as “Tree” because of his height. He was very well-loved in his community. Along with being a basketball player, he was also a very loving father. Before his demise, he had planned on playing in China too. However, he was fatally shot on August 8, 2018. The strange thing about this shooting was that he was shot in broad daylight. When the police and paramedics arrived, Lamont Adair was unresponsive. He was then unfortunately pronounced dead at the scene.
He was very active on social media and always tried to inspire others. According to his family, a lot of people were jealous of his success. He was doing well in life, and things were going according to his plans. He was the youngest child, and his sisters loved him dearly. When they were informed about his death, they were devastated. Everyone wanted to know who had killed Lamont Adair. Gun casings were found on the street where Lamont was murdered. The homicide unit arrived and collected evidence. They also found Lamont Adair’s phone and searched it; however, they did not find anything out of the blue. The police noticed that there were cameras at a nearby apartment. Upon retrieving the footage, the police found out that Lamont Adair was shot by an individual with dreads, who was a black male. The individual drove a gray Toyota and continued shooting after jumping off the car. The police also noticed there was another man in the car who jumped on the driver’s seat, and the shooter sat in the passenger’s seat in the back and sped off.
In the footage, you could see Lamont Adair trying to fight for his life, but he was shot multiple times, which led to his death. The murder looked deliberate and planned.
Lamont Adair’s family talked to the media and asked the public to come forward. They even protested near the area where Lamont was shot. The police noticed an eyewitness in the footage where Lamont was shot; however, the individual said he saw nothing because he was scared. In such cases, people are usually afraid to come forward and speak out. But when Lamont’s family protested, several tips started coming in. One of the reports suggested that Lamont could have been a target for revenge. In one incident, Lamont was arrested for a minor marijuana charge but came out of jail in no time. In such cases, it is believed that the individual must be working with the police. The rumors suggested that Lamont was a police informant. However, when the police department talked to the narcotics department, it was found that Lamont had not been working with the police.
The police were back at square one, but everything changed when a female came forward. She claimed that she was a friend of Lamont’s and had information on who might have murdered him. Kenya told the police that her ex-boyfriend, Franklin Scott, was the shooter. When the police asked her why she thought her ex-boyfriend was the killer, she told the authorities that Franklin was hot-headed and jealous of the fact that she was now seeing Lamont Adair. Franklin Scott was insecure about his height, and since Lamont Adair was tall, Kenya believed he shot Lamont. She also informed the police that she was scared that he would kill her next because he had threatened to do so. She had come to the authorities requesting them to help. The authorities asked her to describe Franklin Scott, and she told them that he had long dreads. His long dreads and short stature matched the physical appearance of the shooter in the CCTV footage. Also, Franklin Scott had prior firearms charges, so the detectives knew he had access to guns.
Investigators also found out that Franklin Scott had rented a gray Toyota. Another piece of information that Kenya gave the police was that on the day of the shooting, he was with another man named Olajuwon Jackson. Police found the vehicle and recovered bullet fragments inside it, but no guns were found. After the shooting, both Olajuwon Jackson and Franklin Scott were nowhere to be found. However, the police knew that Franklin Scott had a court date in Glen Burnie, Maryland. Franklin Scott didn’t know that the police saw him as a potential suspect. He was arrested in Maryland, and he immediately asked for a lawyer. The detectives then monitored his phone calls from prison and found out that he was asking someone to get rid of his guns. By the time police searched Franklin’s apartment, no guns were found. Eventually, police tracked down Olajuwon Jackson, and he came clean. He told the police that he was unaware of the fact that Franklin was going to shoot Lamont.
Olajuwon Jackson was charged as an accessory and sentenced to six years in prison. Meanwhile, Franklin pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and was sentenced to fifty years in prison.