Atlanta Man Convicted In Fatal Lithonia Shooting

DECATUR, GA — An Atlanta man accused of shooting a driver to death and causing a vehicle to crash into a Lithonia apartment, trapping the woman who lived inside, was convicted Thursday of murder and other charges.

In a news release Friday, DeKalb County District Attorney Sherry Boston said 24-year-old Gary Davis was convicted of malice murder, felony murder, first-degree 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.

Davis was accused of shooting and killing Christopher Eure, 25, on Jan. 30, 2020, at a Lithonia apartment complex. Boston said Eure and another man were dropping off a passenger at the complex, where Davis ran up to the SUV and shot 16 rounds into the vehicle.

Eure lost control of the SUV and drove through the wall of a 79-year-old woman's apartment, pinning her underneath the vehicle, Boston said.

A stray bullet also went through the window of an 11-year-old boy’s bedroom in a different apartment. Boston said no one inside of that apartment was shot.

Eure and the two other people who were injured in the incident were taken to Grady Memorial Hospital, where Eure died of his injuries. The other two people were treated and released from the hospital, Boston said.

The man who survived the shooting said during an interview that Davis had previously confronted him because Davis believed the man was responsible for a home invasion at Davis’ mother’s home in August 2019, Boston said.

Shortly after the shooting, a bystander pointed investigators to a building in the complex where Davis was found. Boston said surveillance footage showed the shooter wearing a gray hoodie and black jeans, the same clothing she said was recovered from Davis.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation conducted lab testing, which Boston said revealed gunshot residue on Davis' jacket.

A witness inside the apartment told investigators Davis had received a phone call at 9:20 p.m. that night, grabbed a handgun and left the apartment, Boston said.

"Davis returned several minutes later and made a statement to the effect of 'this was how it was going to end anyways,'" read a news release issued Friday from Boston's office.

Davis is scheduled to be sentenced at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday, August 23.