On a summer day in Atlanta, the life of 31-year-old Kenneth Hearst, an African American man, was cut short by gunfire. On August 4, 2016, Hearst was on the porch of a residence on Hendrix Avenue in the southwest part of the city when he was struck by multiple bullets. The Fulton County Medical Examiner's office would later confirm that he died from his wounds at the scene.
Two other individuals were also wounded in the shooting and were transported to Grady Memorial Hospital in stable condition.
In the immediate aftermath, Atlanta police appealed to the public for assistance in identifying three male suspects seen in the vicinity of the crime. A week after the shooting, investigators released surveillance video showing three men they believed were involved in the homicide. One of the men was noted for his distinctive red shoes, another for his dreadlocks, and the third was seen wearing a white t-shirt. At the time, the motive for the shooting was not publicly known. Hundreds of people later gathered for a vigil to remember Hearst, who was known to many as 'Kenny Boo' and was a father of six. His family and fiancée expressed their profound loss and pleaded for answers and an end to the violence that took his life.
The investigation eventually led to the indictment of three men in connection with the murder of Kenneth Hearst: Dimanta Hunter, also known as 'Monte' or 'Fam-Lay'; Jaharvis Lovelace, also known as 'Horn'; and Gary Bing Jr. The case against them suggested the shooting was the result of a drug deal gone wrong. According to court testimony from Hearst's mother, he was known to sell drugs from his mother's home and a neighboring house.
The trial of Dimanta Hunter in 2020 revealed more details about the events of that fatal day. Evidence presented showed that Hunter, Lovelace, and a third, unidentified man went to the Hendrix Avenue location to purchase marijuana from Hearst. An altercation ensued, and gunfire erupted. Following the trial, a jury found Dimanta Hunter not guilty of murder and other serious charges related to the shooting. However, he was convicted of conspiracy to purchase marijuana. The legal outcomes for Jaharvis Lovelace and Gary Bing Jr., who were also indicted, and the identity and whereabouts of the third man present at the scene, have not been widely reported, leaving a full sense of closure elusive for the family and community of Kenneth Hearst. The case, as it stands in public record, is a somber tale of a street transaction that escalated into a deadly confrontation, leaving a family to grapple with their loss while the full scope of justice remains unclear.
