In the early hours of October 5, 2022, a stray bullet pierced the walls of a Decatur, Georgia, home, tragically ending the life of 50-year-old Lashunda Heath Ellison. An African American woman, she was asleep in her bed on Wilkins Court when the incident occurred shortly after midnight. Her husband, Mac Ellison, a local pastor, was awakened by her labored breathing. Initially dismissing it as snoring, he soon realized something was gravely wrong when he turned on the lights and discovered a pool of blood where her head had been.
Paramedics were called, and Lashunda was rushed to the hospital in critical condition. It was there that doctors made a startling discovery: a bullet was lodged in her skull. The projectile had traveled through the exterior wall of their home, penetrated the headboard of their bed, and entered the center of her brain before coming to rest behind her sinus cavity. For five days, she fought for her life, but ultimately succumbed to her injuries on Monday, October 10, 2022.
The DeKalb County Police Department immediately launched a homicide investigation into her death. They confirmed that the bullet came from outside the residence, likely from a wooded area behind the home. Despite the ongoing investigation, authorities have not yet identified any suspects, and no arrests have been made in connection with the shooting.
The Ellison family, including her husband and their two children, have been left to grapple with the sudden and senseless loss. Mac Ellison has publicly expressed his profound grief over the loss of his 'Perfect Angel.' In the wake of this tragedy, the family has advocated for stricter gun control laws and, in collaboration with law enforcement, has offered a $10,000 reward for any information that leads to an arrest in the case. The community has rallied around the grieving family, remembering Lashunda as a devoted wife, mother, and a woman of strong faith who was active in her church.
