In the winter of 2016, a young man’s life was cut short in Conyers, Georgia, following a violent encounter that law enforcement officials described as a drug deal gone wrong. Nineteen-year-old Khayree Acklin was fatally shot on the evening of Monday, January 4, 2016. The incident unfolded near the intersection of Sugar Creek Lane and Sweet Briar Lane in the Honey Creek subdivision, a setting that would become the backdrop for a tragic loss of life.
Following the shooting, Acklin was not left to die at the scene. Instead, others who were reportedly involved in the drug transaction transported him in a vehicle to Rockdale Medical Center. He arrived at the hospital with multiple gunshot wounds. Despite the efforts to get him medical attention, Khayree Acklin succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead that night. The grim task of investigating his death then fell to the Rockdale County Sheriff's Office.
Investigators quickly pieced together the narrative of an illicit transaction that had escalated into a deadly confrontation. Their work led them to a suspect, and on the Tuesday following the shooting, deputies made an arrest. Kalen McFadden, also of Conyers, was taken into custody at his home. The Rockdale County Sheriff's Office charged McFadden with felony murder, aggravated assault, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony. He was subsequently booked into the Rockdale jail and was held without bond.
