In the summer of 2020, a series of tragic events unfolded in Atlanta, leaving the city's homeless community in a state of fear. Among the victims was Curtis Cockrell, a 56-year-old male. His life was cut short when he was discovered deceased on June 12, 2020, under the I-20 overpass at Windsor Street. Investigators believe he may have been killed a day earlier, on June 11. The cause of death was multiple gunshot wounds.
Cockrell's body was found in a corner of the bridge, a location where individuals experiencing homelessness often sought shelter.
The discovery of Cockrell was part of a larger, more disturbing pattern of violence. He was the second of three homeless individuals to be fatally shot in Atlanta within a two-week period. The first victim, Timothy Terrill Smith, was found on June 1, and the third victim, Maxine McDonald, was discovered on June 15. The similar circumstances of the killings led Atlanta police to believe the cases were connected, sparking a search for a potential serial killer targeting a vulnerable population.
The investigation moved swiftly as authorities pieced together evidence from the various crime scenes. The Atlanta Police Department released surveillance photos of a person of interest, described as a Black male, approximately 5-foot-10 to 6-feet tall, who was seen near all three locations around the time of the shootings. This individual was considered armed and dangerous.
A significant breakthrough in the case came on June 19, 2020, when police arrested 29-year-old David Chris Arnold Lee in Gwinnett County. Lee was taken into custody in the parking lot of a shopping center and was subsequently charged with three counts of murder and three counts of possession of a weapon during the commission of a crime in connection with the deaths of Cockrell, Smith, and McDonald. The arrest brought a measure of relief to the community, though the motive for the string of senseless killings remained unclear.
