In the late summer of 2023, a heart-wrenching incident in Lithonia, Georgia, resulted in the death of 7-year-old Zayre Jerome Daugherty. The young boy, a male, passed away on September 4, 2023, after being shot in the head. The tragic event unfolded at a gas station on Rock Chapel Road where Zayre and his younger 6-year-old brother were left unattended in a vehicle by their father.
Their father, 44-year-old Dante Lamar Daugherty, had gone into the gas station, leaving a loaded firearm inside the car with his two young sons. While he was away, the boys discovered the unsecured pistol. It remains unclear whether Zayre was shot by his brother or if the gun discharged in some other manner. Surveillance footage from the gas station captured movement inside the SUV followed by a flash of gunfire. When Dante Daugherty returned to his vehicle, he found his son Zayre with a fatal head wound. The 7-year-old died at the scene.
In the wake of his son's death, Dante Lamar Daugherty was arrested and faced serious charges. He was initially charged with two counts of cruelty to children and one count of murder. Eventually, Dante Daugherty entered a non-negotiated guilty plea to second-degree murder and two counts of second-degree cruelty to children. As a result of his plea, he was sentenced to ten years, with the first two years to be served in custody, followed by probation. The community mourned the loss of Zayre, who was remembered as a football player at Gresham Park, with family, friends, and teammates gathering for a balloon release in his honor.
