Two men have been identified and charged with murder and several other counts in the shooting death of a 22-year-old man in the parking lot of a Sandy Springs shopping center Tuesday afternoon.
Devonte Lavonne Childs, 25, and Cortney Demar White, 35, are accused of shooting two men during a botched drug deal earlier this week, according to Sandy Springs police spokesman Sgt. Sal Ortega. Both victims were injured and taken to the hospital where one man, Yemi Ezekiel Mabiaku of Atlanta, died. The second man, who has not been identified, was taken into surgery but is expected to survive.
Childs faces four additional charges, including two counts of possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and aggravated assault with intent to murder. In addition to his murder charge, White is facing two counts of aggravated assault with intent to murder and one of aggravated battery, according to Sandy Springs police.
Both men remain at large, Ortega said. They are considered armed and “extremely dangerous.” White is suspected of driving a 2009 Cadillac DTS with a Georgia tag number of RYK0197.
Credit: Sandy Springs Police Department
Credit: Sandy Springs Police Department
Anyone who sees either Childs or White is asked to immediately call 911.
Tuesday’s shooting brought a flurry of police activity to the parking lot of the busy shopping center, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution previously reported. Police received several 911 calls, leading more than a dozen officers to respond to the Orchard Park Shopping Center around 5:20 p.m.
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The first officers on scene provided aid to the victims until paramedics arrived and took both men to a hospital. After interviewing witnesses, investigators determined the fatal shooting was the result of a marijuana sale gone wrong, Ortega said. According to police, both victims came to the shopping center together to “carry out a drug transaction involving a large amount of marijuana.”
Investigators are asking anyone with information to contact Sandy Springs Police Detective Pearson at JPearson@SandySpringsGa.Gov or by phone at 770-551-6939.
— Please return to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution for updates.
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