In the late hours of a Saturday night in May 2019, the sound of gunshots and screams pierced the air at the Prescott Apartments on Centerview Drive in Duluth, Georgia. When Gwinnett County police officers arrived around 11:15 p.m. on May 4th, they discovered two young men in a wooded area behind the apartment complex, both suffering from gunshot wounds. One of the men, a 17-year-old from Duluth named Matthew-Evan Graham, had been shot in the shoulder. The other, 20-year-old Nicolai Manget of Loganville, had sustained a life-threatening gunshot wound to the chest. Both were rushed to a nearby hospital for medical attention.
Tragically, Nicolai Manget succumbed to his injuries and passed away the following day, May 5, 2019. In the initial stages of the investigation, the surviving victim told detectives that they had been walking through the apartment community when a 'dark, shadowy figure' confronted and shot them. This mysterious account set off an intensive search for the person or persons responsible for the violent encounter.
As detectives delved deeper into the case, a series of crucial clues began to unravel a more complex narrative. At the scene of the homicide, investigators found a key to a white Mercedes that was later determined to have been stolen. Just four days after the shooting, police were called back to the same apartment building for a report of firearms being discharged. They discovered an apartment with several bullet holes, though no one was inside at the time. The resident of this apartment was identified as 28-year-old Richie Milord of Duluth.
The investigation eventually connected both Milord and the surviving victim, Graham, to the shooting of Nicolai Manget. Authorities alleged that Milord was the gunman who shot both Manget and Graham. In a turn of events, Graham was also implicated in criminal activity, facing a charge of theft by receiving stolen property related to the stolen Mercedes. On May 13, Graham was arrested during a traffic stop.
The search for the primary suspect in Manget's death continued until July 12, when Richie Milord was apprehended during a traffic stop by a Gwinnett County Sheriff's Office deputy. Milord was subsequently booked into the Gwinnett County Jail. He faced a string of serious charges, including murder, aggravated assault, and two counts of possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony. Officials have suggested that the shooting may have been gang-related. Both Milord and Graham were held at the Gwinnett County Jail without bond and were also facing additional charges in unrelated cases.
