In the early morning hours of March 13, 2021, in a quiet Loganville, Georgia subdivision, 20-year-old Devon Holmes, an African American male, was fatally shot in what authorities would later describe as a premeditated act of retaliation. Holmes and a 16-year-old friend, Demontries Rule, had fallen asleep in Holmes' SUV parked in front of Rule's home on Foxberry Run. Shortly before 6:30 a.m., the tranquility of the morning was shattered by the sound of rapid gunfire.
A black sedan, later identified as a Chrysler 300, drove by the parked SUV and unleashed a volley of shots. Rule was awakened by the gunfire and the searing pain of a gunshot wound to his arm. Tragically, Holmes, who was next to him, did not survive the assault.
The Gwinnett County Police Department immediately launched a homicide investigation. Evidence and leads gathered at the scene, including doorbell camera footage from a nearby home that captured the black sedan, quickly pointed them to a suspect. Within days, on March 17, 2021, investigators arrested 17-year-old Makilyn Chavon Manzie of Loganville. The motive for the shooting began to surface as the investigation progressed. Manzie claimed that Holmes had robbed him, and the drive-by shooting was an act of revenge. Further investigation revealed the calculated nature of the crime. Manzie had reportedly turned off his phone and home security cameras before driving to Rule's neighborhood multiple times prior to the shooting.
During the investigation, police discovered text messages between Manzie and Holmes that indicated a conflict between them. After his arrest, authorities found the murder weapon, an AR-15, and armor-piercing ammunition that matched the bullets that killed Holmes. In a further attempt to cover his tracks, Manzie had instructed his girlfriend to report the weapon as stolen.
In October 2024, Makilyn Chavon Manzie, then 21, was tried before a Gwinnett County jury. He was found guilty of malice murder, felony murder, two counts of aggravated assault, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony. The court sentenced him to life in prison without the possibility of parole, plus an additional 25 years. District Attorney Patsy Austin-Gatson characterized the crime as 'premeditated, outrageous, and intolerable,' emphasizing the severe consequences for such violent acts. The conviction and sentencing brought a measure of justice to the family of Devon Holmes.
