On what should have been a day of celebration, his 40th birthday, Kenneth Cunningham II was tragically shot and killed on the morning of January 3, 2024, at his apartment complex in Smyrna, Georgia. His family had just flown into town to surprise him for his milestone birthday, only to be met with devastating news.
The attack was a premeditated and calculated act. The suspect, 33-year-old Donovan Carter, was the ex-boyfriend of the woman Cunningham had recently started seeing. Carter drove over an hour to Cunningham's residence, disguising himself as a delivery driver to lure him out of his home. Cunningham, who was reportedly expecting a package, went to the apartment complex's leasing office to inquire about a delivery. When the staff informed him they had nothing for him, he stepped outside.
Moments later, Carter allegedly opened fire, shooting Cunningham multiple times. Reports indicate Cunningham was shot in the back as he tried to flee the assailant. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Witnesses described seeing a slender male, approximately six feet tall, fleeing the area immediately after the gunshots rang out.
A multi-agency law enforcement effort, including officers from the Marietta Police Department, Cobb County Police Department, Smyrna Police Department, and the Cobb County Sheriff's Office, quickly identified Carter as the suspect. He was apprehended later that same day during a traffic stop conducted with the assistance of the Gwinnett County Police Department. Donovan Carter was taken into custody and booked into the Cobb County Adult Detention Center. He faces multiple charges, including malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime.
