In the Custer-McDonough-Guice neighborhood of southeast Atlanta, 35-year-old Jerrell Demonta Cullins, an African American man, was found with multiple gunshot wounds on the evening of January 9, 2025. The incident occurred at the Park Vista apartments on Fisher Road, a complex known for its history of crime. Emergency services were called to the scene just before 10:45 p.m., and Cullins was rushed to a nearby hospital, but he succumbed to his injuries shortly after arrival.
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investigation into the shooting continued for several months. A funeral service for Cullins was held on January 21, 2025, at the St. Paul AME Church, followed by his interment at South-View Cemetery. Friends and family gathered to mourn the loss of the Lithonia, Georgia resident, while the Atlanta Police Department continued their search for the person responsible for his death.
On July 11, 2025, a breakthrough in the case came with the arrest of 34-year-old Jonathan Lawson. He was taken into custody with the assistance of the Paulding County Sheriff's Office. Lawson was subsequently charged with murder, aggravated assault, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and during the commission of a felony. Following his arrest, he was booked into the Fulton County jail, where he is being held without bond.
