In the quiet town of Rockmart, Georgia, a tragic event unfolded on the evening of Thursday, January 24, 2019, shattering the community's sense of peace. Helen Rose Mitchell, a 48-year-old female, was found deceased in a home located in the 300 block of Williamson Street. Her life was cut short in a violent act that also claimed the life of 19-year-old Jaequnn Davis at the same location. The grim discovery was part of a larger, coordinated attack that spread to a second residence nearby.
The investigation, led by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation at the request of the Rockmart Police Department, quickly revealed the incident to be a double homicide at two separate locations. Approximately 300 yards away from where Mitchell and Davis were found, authorities discovered the bodies of 24-year-old Arkeyla Perry and 26-year-old Dadrian Cummings at a house in the 500 block of Rome Street. A fifth individual, 24-year-old Peerless Brown, was also shot at the Williamson Street residence but survived his injuries after being airlifted to a hospital in Atlanta.
The ensuing investigation pointed to one man, 27-year-old Daylon Delon Gamble, as the sole suspect in the quadruple homicide. Law enforcement officials believed the attacks were targeted, as there were no signs of forced entry at either of the homes. Following the shootings, Gamble fled the scene, stealing a Ford truck which was later found abandoned in Bartow County. A multi-agency manhunt involving local, state, and federal authorities was launched to apprehend the man described as armed and dangerous.
The search for Daylon Delon Gamble crossed state lines and concluded on January 27, 2019. Acting on information that he had fled Georgia, the U.S. Marshal's Service's Southeast Regional Fugitive Task Force coordinated with their counterparts in the Great Lakes region. Gamble was located and taken into custody in Indianapolis, Indiana, without incident, bringing an end to the intense search. In the wake of this tragedy, the community of Rockmart was left to mourn the loss of four of its members, including Helen Rose Mitchell.
