Police said the suspect called 911 and stayed at the apartment where officers found his wife dead.
CHATHAM COUNTY, GA — A 23-year-old former soldier has been charged with murder after his wife, an active-duty Fort Stewart soldier, was found shot dead Tuesday evening at a Chatham County apartment complex, police said.
Tahj Javean Hemphill was being held without bond at the Chatham County Jail after officers responded to the Fords Point Apartment Complex, just off Ogeechee Road. The killing brought a local homicide investigation to an apartment community near Savannah and involved two people with Army ties: Hemphill, who previously served in the Regular Army, and the victim, who was assigned to the 3rd Infantry Division at Fort Stewart.
Chatham County Police Chief Jeff Hadley said Hemphill told officers he and the victim were married, although they did not share the same last name. Police have not publicly released the victim’s name because family notification was still pending. Officers were called to the apartment complex around 6:45 p.m. Tuesday after a 911 call reporting the shooting. Hadley said Hemphill was believed to be the person who made that call. “The suspect was still on scene when officers arrived,” police said. Officers found the woman dead inside the home and arrested Hemphill at the apartment he shared with her.
Neighbors described a sudden police response at the apartment complex Tuesday evening. One neighbor said a single gunshot was heard before officers arrived. Police have not said what led to the shooting, whether a weapon was recovered or whether anyone else was inside the apartment at the time. No other injuries were reported. The investigation remained active Wednesday as detectives worked the scene, reviewed evidence and gathered statements. Apartment managers declined to comment. A sign left on the apartment door indicated the couple’s dog had been taken into county custody after the shooting.
Fort Stewart officials confirmed the victim was an active-duty soldier assigned to the 3rd Infantry Division, the Army unit based at Fort Stewart in southeast Georgia. Military officials did not release her rank, age or job while relatives were being notified. They also confirmed Hemphill previously served as a motor transport operator in the Regular Army from November 2021 to March 2025. He reached the rank of sergeant and was not deployed, officials said. The Army did not say whether Hemphill had any disciplinary history during his service.
The case unfolded less than an hour’s drive from Fort Stewart, one of the Army’s largest posts and home to the 3rd Infantry Division. The post and surrounding communities in Liberty, Bryan and Chatham counties are closely tied through housing, jobs and military families. The victim’s assignment to Fort Stewart placed the killing within a broader military community that has faced several violent incidents involving soldiers in recent years. Police, however, have not said the Tuesday killing had any link to the victim’s military duties or to Fort Stewart operations.
Hemphill faces a murder charge in Chatham County, where local prosecutors would handle the criminal case unless federal or military authorities later assert jurisdiction. Police said he was held at the Chatham County Jail with no bond. Court records available Wednesday did not list a detailed public account of the evidence against him beyond the murder charge. It was not immediately clear whether Hemphill had an attorney who could speak on his behalf. Investigators had not announced additional charges, and officials had not released a date for his next court appearance.
The killing drew concern from residents who watched police fill the apartment complex after sunset. Larry Walker, a Chatham County resident, said the response left neighbors shaken because so little was known in the first hours after the shooting. “That’s terrifying because I don’t know what happened,” Walker said. Police have not described any continuing threat to the public. The early account from investigators placed Hemphill at the scene when officers arrived and said the shooting appeared to have happened in one apartment rather than across the complex.
As of Thursday, the victim’s name had not been released, and the motive remained unknown. Chatham County police said the investigation was continuing while Army officials waited to share more information until the soldier’s relatives were notified.
Author note: Last updated July 2, 2026.