A night of celebration turned into a tragedy in Lawrenceville, Georgia, ending the life of 37-year-old Shaquon Anthony McKensey. An African American male, McKensey had traveled from his home in Gainesville on April 24, 2021, to celebrate a birthday with friends at the Mirza Hookah Lounge on Herrington Road. Inside the lounge, an argument broke out between McKensey's group and two brothers, Deavian Jasiri-Teeir Netters and Julian Patrick Netters, Jr.
The dispute, which began as a verbal altercation, would soon escalate with deadly consequences.
After the initial confrontation inside, the situation seemed to de-escalate as McKensey and his friends left the establishment. However, they were followed. Surveillance footage later presented in court showed the Netters brothers and another unidentified individual pursuing McKensey's group into the parking lot. Around 1:30 a.m., Deavian Netters was seen on video leaving the lounge to wait near his car. About forty minutes later, his brother Julian joined him. It was then that Deavian, armed with a rifle, opened fire, shooting Shaquon McKensey multiple times. The brothers and their companion fled the scene, leaving McKensey fatally wounded.
The investigation into the shooting quickly identified the Netters brothers as the primary suspects. On May 1, 2021, arrest warrants were issued for murder and aggravated assault. The search for the suspects became a multi-state effort. Julian Netters was tracked by the U.S. Marshals Southeast Regional Task Force to a residence in Memphis, Tennessee. He was apprehended there without incident. During that arrest, two other relatives, Josiah Netters and Chanty Netters-Brown, were also taken into custody on separate charges of carjacking and accessory after the fact, respectively. Deavian Netters, the alleged gunman, managed to evade capture for more than a year before he was finally apprehended by the Gwinnett County Sheriff's Office.
The case against the brothers was built on strong evidence. Investigators recovered the assault rifle used in the shooting at the Netters' home. The most crucial piece of evidence came from the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, whose personnel testified that DNA collected from the weapon's trigger was a match to Deavian Netters. In October 2025, the brothers faced a Gwinnett County jury. Deavian Jasiri-Teeir Netters was found guilty of malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony. His brother, Julian Patrick Netters, Jr., was convicted of felony murder, aggravated assault, and firearm possession. Both men were sentenced to life in prison plus five years, bringing a measure of justice to the family of Shaquon McKensey.
