In the quiet town of Palmetto, Georgia, the life of 31-year-old Dorian Lydell Hankins, a male, was cut short on the night of March 9, 2020. He was in his living room on Chestnut Oak Drive when a barrage of bullets tore through the front of his house between 10:30 and 11 p.m., striking and killing him. Another person inside the residence at the time was thankfully unharmed.
Responding officers discovered Hankins on his living room floor. The initial investigation by the Palmetto Police Department suggested that the shooting was not a random act of violence, nor was it a home invasion. Instead, authorities believe the shots were fired from the front yard and deliberately targeted Hankins's home. The motive behind the targeted attack remains a mystery to investigators. A relative described Hankins as a 'brilliant, kind, beautiful spirit and an amazing father.'
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation was called in to assist with the homicide case. Despite their efforts, the investigation has stretched on for years without a resolution. As of March 2024, more than four years after Hankins was killed, no arrests have been made, and no suspects have been publicly identified. The case remains an open and active investigation.
Authorities have repeatedly appealed to the public for any information that might lead to a breakthrough in the case. A reward of up to $2,000 is being offered for any information that leads to the arrest and indictment of the person or persons responsible for Dorian Lydell Hankins's death. Investigators continue to seek the missing pieces that could bring closure to his family and answer the questions that have lingered for years.
