In the late summer of 2020, the life of Christopher John Mackie Knight Jr., a 24-year-old man from Lithonia, Georgia, was violently cut short. On September 22, 2020, Knight was one of two men who died from gunshot wounds in a tragic and fiery incident in DeKalb County.
The events unfolded as Knight and another man, Donnell Roderick Smith, were in a vehicle on Browns Mill Lake Road. It is believed that a suspect in the back seat of the car opened fire, striking both Knight and Smith. Following the shooting, the vehicle lost control, careening through a yard, striking a mailbox and a fire hydrant before ultimately crashing into a tree and bursting into flames. The driver of the car died at the scene of the crash, while the passenger was transported to a local hospital where he later succumbed to his injuries.
In the immediate aftermath, two suspects fled the scene on foot. Witnesses reported seeing the men return to the burning vehicle to retrieve a gun before leaving again. Law enforcement officials launched an investigation into the double homicide.
Their efforts led to the arrests of two suspects, Da'Shjohn Bridges, 20, of Stockbridge, and Davontavious Smith of Lithonia. Both men were taken into custody and booked into the DeKalb County jail. They each face two counts of felony murder and two counts of aggravated assault in connection with the deaths of Christopher Knight and Donnell Smith. While arrests have been made, a motive for the shooting has not been publicly released by investigators.
