A man was convicted Thursday of murder after opening fire on a vehicle three years ago and killing the driver at a Lithonia apartment complex.
The shots he fired caused a ripple of events, leading to a woman becoming pinned underneath a vehicle and a bullet going through a child’s bedroom, officials said.
Gary Davis, 24, was found guilty of malice murder, felony murder, criminal damage to property, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, theft by receiving stolen property and three counts of aggravated assault in the incident. He is scheduled to be sentenced in August.
On Jan. 30, 2020, Christopher Eure and another man dropped off a passenger at a DeKalb County apartment complex. As Eure began to drive away, the district attorney’s office said Davis ran up to the SUV and began shooting. A total of 16 rounds were fired.
Eure lost control of the vehicle and accelerated through the wall of a 79-year-old woman’s apartment. Officials said she was pinned underneath the SUV. A stray bullet also went through the window of an 11-year-old boy’s bedroom in another apartment.
Medical personnel took 25-year-old Eure, the other man inside the SUV and the woman to Grady Memorial Hospital. Eure eventually died from his injuries.
After the shooting, Davis was located by authorities at another building within the complex. Surveillance video of the incident showed the shooter wearing a gray hoodie and black jeans — the same clothing Davis was found to possess. Lab testing by the GBI also revealed gunshot residue on Davis’ jacket.
A witness told investigators that Davis received a phone call at 9:20 p.m. the day of the shooting, grabbed a handgun and then left the apartment unit. He returned several minutes later and made a statement along the lines of, “This was how it was going to end anyways,” the witness added.
During an interview with police, the man who was in the vehicle with Eure said Davis had confronted him before because he believed he was responsible for a home invasion at his mother’s home in August 2019. Authorities did not share any details on that incident.
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