On the evening of January 20, 2021, 56-year-old Rosemary D. Michael, a Black / African American female from Hinesville, Georgia, was fatally shot in what was initially believed to be an attempted robbery. The incident occurred at a convenience store at the corner of Memorial Drive and Gause Street. Hinesville Police Department officers were dispatched to the location at 6:03 p.m. following a 911 call reporting a carjacking. Upon their arrival, they discovered Michael unresponsive on the ground on the driver's side of her vehicle. Despite the efforts of emergency medical personnel, she was pronounced dead at the scene.
Investigators quickly determined that the shooting was not a random act of violence but rather an act of domestic violence. Surveillance footage from the convenience store captured the tragic events as they unfolded. The video showed a suspect, later identified as Davonta Johnson, approaching Michael's vehicle and making a verbal demand. Johnson and Michael had been in a romantic relationship but were separated at the time of the incident, and he had allegedly been stalking her. As Michael searched through her car, a physical altercation ensued, during which Johnson produced a gun and fired a single shot, striking her. One shell casing was recovered from the scene.
After shooting Michael, Johnson fled the scene and attempted another carjacking across the street at the Liberty Prayer Church. He approached a woman sitting in her vehicle and, at gunpoint, demanded her car. The second victim was not harmed in the incident. The stolen vehicle was later discovered in Claxton on the afternoon of Johnson's arrest.
The day after the shooting, on the morning of January 21, 2021, Davonta Johnson surrendered to authorities. A family member contacted the Liberty County Sheriff, William Bowman, to arrange for his surrender at the Justice Center in Hinesville. When he was taken into custody, Johnson had injuries consistent with a physical altercation. He was subsequently charged with malice murder and felony murder and is being held at the Liberty County jail awaiting a court appearance.
