Wesley Freeman, a 41-year-old White man described by his wife as “the most spectacular human,” was killed during a shooting spree that shook Midtown Atlanta on a Monday afternoon. Adored by those who knew him, Freeman was a loving husband to his wife, Alicia, as well as a son, brother, and friend. He worked as a managing director at the accounting firm BDO USA, and his wife recalled that just 30 minutes before he was killed, he had texted her saying he wanted to go home.
The violence
unfolded on August 22, 2022, at two separate locations. Around 1:45 p.m., a shooter entered the management office of the 1280 West condominium building on West Peachtree Street. There, 60-year-old property manager Michael Shinners was shot and killed, and the building’s chief engineer, Mike Horne, was wounded. Approximately 30 minutes later, the shooter went to an office tower at 1100 Peachtree Street and entered the BDO USA offices. Freeman was shot in his office and rushed to a nearby hospital, but he succumbed to his injuries.
Investigators quickly identified the suspect as Raissa Kengne, a 34-year-old woman who had connections to all three victims. Police stated that the victims were likely targeted. Kengne was a former employee at BDO, where Freeman had been her direct supervisor until 2021. She was also a resident of the 1280 West building where Shinners and Horne worked. Prior to the attack, Kengne had filed a federal lawsuit against Freeman, Shinners, and others, alleging a conspiracy against her. She had also made critical posts about Freeman on social media.
The shootings triggered a city-wide manhunt. Using an extensive network of cameras and witness accounts, law enforcement tracked Kengne as she fled the second scene in a taxi. She was apprehended without incident by an ATF task force several hours later at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, and the firearm believed to have been used was recovered.
In November 2022, a grand jury indicted Kengne on multiple charges, including two counts of murder, two counts of felony murder, and several counts of aggravated assault. The case was paused in June 2024 after a court-ordered evaluation found Kengne mentally incompetent to stand trial, and a judge ordered her into treatment.
After being restored to competency, Kengne’s trial began in April 2026. The prosecution argued that the shootings were a calculated act of revenge, while her defense attorney argued she was not guilty by reason of insanity. In May 2026, after a week of testimony, a jury deliberated for less than an hour before finding Kengne guilty but mentally ill on all charges.
Following the verdict and emotional victim impact statements, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Shukura Ingram sentenced Raissa Kengne to two consecutive life terms in prison, plus an additional 50 years. The case was closed with her conviction and sentencing in May 2026.
