Two roommates argued over a gun in their living room in 2023. Moments later, that gun was used to kill one of them.
Now the shooter will spend the rest of his life in prison, officials announced Wednesday.
Zakariya Wildman, 25, was recently found guilty in the killing of 28-year-old Kali Winston, according to DeKalb County District Attorney’s Office spokesperson Lisa Myers.
A 911 call came in shortly after midnight Jan. 12, 2023, reporting that a man was shot at a home in the 1400 block of Meadowlark Drive, officials said. At the scene, Winston’s girlfriend told officers that she had watched as Wildman entered the room and killed her boyfriend.
Wildman purchased the gun early one morning, officials said. Later that same day, he used it for target practice in the backyard of his home, alarming several neighbors who expressed concern for children living and attending school in the area.
Winston confronted Wildman about the complaints, which led to a fight, according to Myers. The fight, which left Wildman with a black eye, was broken up by another roommate who was not involved in the shooting.
Wildman then returned to his room to retrieve the gun, according to prosecutors, before walking into the living room and shooting Winston.
Wildman left the home but was later found by officers in the same neighborhood. He told them he acted in self-defense, but he admitted that the fight was already over when he shot Winston.
Wildman was convicted of malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony.
