In the early hours of a Tuesday morning in Mableton, Georgia, the body of 42-year-old Howard Smith was discovered. He was found deceased around 3 a.m. in the vicinity of Bonanza Trail, having sustained a fatal gunshot wound to the head. The discovery, located near the SAE School, prompted a significant police investigation that caused traffic delays throughout the morning as authorities worked the scene on Mableton Parkway.
The investigation into the death of the Mableton man progressed
swiftly, and by that same evening, an arrest was made. Cobb County police took 44-year-old Tyrone Gantt of Austell into custody. Gantt was subsequently charged with murder and aggravated assault in connection with Smith's death. According to the arrest warrant and police statements, Gantt had been with Smith and another unidentified individual on the Monday evening preceding the discovery of Smith's body. Investigators believe the shooting occurred sometime between 2:30 and 3 a.m.
While an arrest was made, a clear motive for the shooting was not publicly released by law enforcement officials. Authorities confirmed that Gantt and Smith were together before the incident but did not elaborate on the circumstances that led to the fatal encounter. Gantt was booked into the Cobb County jail and is being held without bond. The case was noted as the second homicide in South Cobb that year, prompting concern among local citizens.
