Kentel Gabriel Deshon Hunt was a 26-year-old father devoted to providing for his family. He had worked for nearly five years at Royal Food Service, a food distributor in southeast Atlanta, on the same shift as his mother, Brandy Hughley, and his younger brother, Jordan Hughley. His family described their lives as being centered on work and taking care of one another. Kentel was engaged to be married to his fiancée, Alexis Collier, and together they had a 2-year-old son.
His mother remembered him as being full of energy, a trait she now sees in her young grandson, who she said looks and acts just like his father. "It breaks my heart every time I see him, but he also keeps a smile on my face," Brandy shared.
The sense of family security was shattered in the early morning of Thursday, October 1, 2026. What began as a normal shift at the warehouse on Zip Industrial Boulevard SE turned into a nightmare around 1:30 a.m. While in the company parking lot, Kentel was shot. His brother, Jordan, made the horrific discovery and ran back inside to get their mother. Brandy Hughley rushed outside and prayed for her son's life. "I just wanted him to wake up," she later said. Emergency responders transported Kentel to Grady Memorial Hospital, but he did not survive his injuries. "They took half of my heart from me," his mother said.
The Atlanta Police Department immediately launched an investigation. Investigators quickly identified a suspect and a vehicle, issuing a citywide lookout. They believed the suspect, a co-worker of Kentel's, might be heading toward Lawrenceville. Police there were alerted and used Flock camera technology to track the vehicle's location. Less than two hours after the shooting, at about 2:57 a.m., Lawrenceville police officers located the suspect's vehicle at a gas station on Grayson Highway.
The driver was taken into custody without incident and turned over to Atlanta police. Officers found a gun inside the vehicle. A second person who was in the car was also detained, though their connection to the case has not been clarified. Police identified the primary suspect as 36-year-old Stephen Malone. Investigators stated they believed the shooting was the result of an escalating workplace dispute that had been ongoing for some time.
Stephen Malone was arrested and charged with murder, aggravated assault, armed robbery, theft by taking, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony. He was booked into the Fulton County Jail. While police cited a dispute, the specific motive and the circumstances leading to the armed robbery and theft charges have not been publicly detailed by authorities. As of October 2026, the case against Malone was pending in the court system.
In the days following Kentel's death, his family was consumed by grief while also having to plan his funeral. A celebration of his life was held on Saturday, October 10, 2026, at Greater St. Peter AME Church in Jonesboro, Georgia. His brother Jordan reflected on their family's focus, saying, "Everything has just been about money and taking care of family, that's all we've been about."
The family's focus turned to honoring Kentel's memory and providing for the son he left behind. An aunt started a GoFundMe fundraiser to help with burial costs and to establish long-term financial support for Kentel's young child. His mother expressed both the pain of her loss and the comfort she finds in her grandson. "That's the only way that I do smile," she said, "because he's full of energy, just like how his dad was." The investigation remains active as the case proceeds through the legal system.
