In the early morning hours of July 5, 2024, a drug deal that soured in Smyrna, Georgia, ended the life of 17-year-old Chamori Levelle Callender. The young man was fatally shot at an apartment complex located on Wexford Hills Parkway. The incident, which some residents initially mistook for leftover Fourth of July fireworks, unfolded after what police described as a planned marijuana purchase that took a violent turn.
According to the investigation, at least four young men, ranging in age from 18 to 22, were involved in the transaction. Two of the men reportedly arrived in a car and emerged with a rifle. As Callender and another individual attempted to flee by jumping over a fence, shots were fired. Callender was struck by a bullet and succumbed to his injuries. The person with him was assaulted but did not sustain serious injuries.
Smyrna police, utilizing cell phone technology and their crime-fighting center, were able to quickly identify two suspects. Within hours of the fatal shooting, authorities had obtained arrest warrants for brothers Kyle Bute, 18, and Chris Bute, 22. Both were subsequently taken into custody and booked into the Cobb County Jail.
The Bute brothers are facing serious charges in connection with the death of Chamori Callender. Each has been charged with murder and two counts of aggravated assault. The swift arrests brought a small measure of resolution to a community stunned by the senseless violence that claimed the life of a teenager over a marijuana deal gone wrong.
