Latest news with #DeKalbCountyPoliceDepartment
Miami Herald
11 hours ago
- Miami Herald
Dad ‘with big dreams' shot dead trying to stop suspected thief, GA family says
A father of three was fatally shot while chasing a suspected thief, his family said. Now, Georgia police are searching for his killer. Officers were called around 3:15 p.m. Saturday, July 25, about a shooting outside DeKalb County Fire Station 7 in Decatur, according to the DeKalb County Police Department. They found Derek Cummings, 32, who was shot and later died from his injuries. Family members said Cummings was doing yard work at a nearby business when someone stole lawn equipment from his truck, WSB-TV and WAGA reported. Following the suspected thief in his truck, the chase ended at the fire station, where Cummings was shot, relatives told WAGA. The family said the suspected thief took off in his truck. Authorities said they're investigating the 'possibility of a fight elsewhere' that led to the deadly shooting. No arrests had been made as of Tuesday, July 29. Cummings' family described him as a 'young man with big dreams ... and a heart full of love.' 'He was only trying to build a better life,' his mother, Sharon Jennings, wrote on a GoFundMe started by the family. 'He took pride in his work and even more pride in being a new dad. He couldn't stop talking about his baby boy.' He is survived by his fiancée and three kids, including a newborn, WSB-TV reported. 'He loved his kids,' Cummings's fiancée, Jennifer Leriche, told WAGA 'They took him too early. He was a good person.' Anyone with information on the shooting is asked contact the DeKalb County Police Department, or submit an anonymous tip by texting 'DKPD' to 847411, police said. Decatur is about a 10-mile drive northeast from downtown Atlanta.
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Yahoo
Amber Alert canceled: Missing 5-year-old found safe, mother arrested
The Brief The missing 5-year-old boy was found safe after being abducted by his mother, Tia Smith, who does not have legal custody. Smith allegedly injured a family member during the abduction, resulting in serious injuries and hospitalization for the victim. Smith has been charged with kidnapping and aggravated assault, and was previously awaiting trial for a child abuse charge involving the same boy. DECATUR, Ga. - The DeKalb County Police Department said Tia Smith, 23, who does not have legal custody of her son, took the child from his father's home around 4 p.m. after showing up uninvited. Police said Smith told the family she was taking the child for the weekend. What they're saying "She wasn't allowed to come and she was trespassing," said the child's grandmother, Alfreda Harris Wilson. "She came to see her son. My other son was home and she ran him over, hit him and ran him over trying to take him. What she did—take him. So in that process my son is laid up at Grady Hospital. Now that's a tragic situation, but they got her. She's in custody now, so we thank you." What we know According to the DeKalb County Police Department, this started shortly after 4:20 p.m. Thursday in the 3400 block of Columbia Crossing Drive. Police said the 26-year-old man struck by the vehicle was seriously injured and remains in critical condition at Grady Memorial Hospital. He has undergone surgery and is expected to survive. Investigators say the mother had gotten into a fight with the family of the boy's father, prompting her to take the child. Authorities issued a Levi's Call, Georgia's Amber Alert System for missing and abducted children, after the abduction, and the child was later found unharmed at the apartment of a friend or family member of the mother, roughly six to eight miles from the grandmother's home. Smith has been charged with kidnapping and aggravated assault. According to police, she was out on bond and awaiting trial for a previous child abuse charge involving the same boy. Investigators said Smith was caught on video hitting the child with a belt last year. What's next The child is now back with his father and grandmother. Family members say he is safe and happy to be home. Further charges against Smith may be pending as the investigation continues. The Source The Georgia Bureau of Investigation provided the details and image for this article. This story has been updated since it was originally published.
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Yahoo
Amber Alert issued for Decatur 5-year-old
An Amber Alert has been issued for a 5-year-old on behalf of DeKalb County Thursday. Yasir Felton-Smith is believed to be in extreme danger. Police say he is a Black male with brown eyes, black hair and a low-cut hair style. He was last seen in Decatur on Thursday wearing no shirt, black sweatpants with green stripes and black Nike slides. Authorities say he was last seen with Tia Lache Smith a 23-year-old woman with brown eyes, black hair with braids, wearing a dark sweat shirt and blue jeans. Law enforcement said they are seeking a 2013 silver Dodge Avenger in connection with this alert. The vehicle has Georgia plates, SFE9628. If you have any information about this case, contact DeKalb County Police Department at 404-641-1809 or call 911.
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Rapper Silentó Sentenced to 30 Years in Prison for Fatally Shooting His Cousin
Silentó, the rapper best known for his viral 2015 hit 'Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae),' has been sentenced to 30 years in prison after pleading guilty to charges related to the fatal shooting of his cousin. The musician, whose real name is Ricky Lamar Hawk, pleaded guilty but mentally ill to charges relating to shooting Frederick Rooks in Jan. 2021. According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the 27-year-old took a deal to plead guilty to a reduced charge from malice murder to voluntary manslaughter. He also pleaded guilty to aggravated assault, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony and concealing the death of another. A separate felony murder charge was dropped as part of the plea agreement. Silentó will serve 30 years in prison with credit for time served since Feb. 2021. The Atlanta rapper was initially arrested after the DeKalb County Police Department found Rooks, 34, with gunshot wounds to his face and leg in January 2021. Rooks was pronounced dead at the scene. Silentó confessed to the murder shortly after, and authorities matched bullet casings to a gun that he had at the time of his arrest. Following Silentó's arrest, his publicist at the time, Chanel Hudson, shared on social media that the rapper had been struggling with mental health issues. 'Over the past several years, Ricky has been suffering immensely from a series of mental illnesses,' she wrote. 'We will continue in his efforts of treatment, but we ask in the meantime the public uplift him and his family in immediate prayer & positive energy!!' Silentó scored a massive hit with his debut single 'Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae),' which he released as a junior in high school in 2015. The song was a runaway success, reaching No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and earning more than 400 million Spotify streams in the time since. He shared his struggles with mental health in the years that followed, and Hudson claimed that he had attempted suicide in 2020. He had several encounters with law enforcement, including an arrest in Aug. 2020 for domestic violence. That October, he was arrested for driving 143 miles per hour in DeKalb County. Best of Variety 'Harry Potter' TV Show Cast Guide: Who's Who in Hogwarts? 25 Hollywood Legends Who Deserve an Honorary Oscar New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Yahoo
Lithonia rapper Silento pleads guilty, sentenced to 30 years in prison for cousin's shooting death
Ricky Lamar Hawk, 27, a rapper known professionally as Silento, pleaded guilty to charges for the 2021 shooting death of his cousin, DeKalb County District Attorney Sherry Boston announces Wednesday. Hawk pleaded guilty but mentally ill to voluntary manslaughter, aggravated assault, possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime and concealing the death of another in connection to the death of Frederick Rooks III in unincorporated Decatur. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] DeKalb County Superior Court Judge Courtney Johnson, who presided over the plea hearing, sentenced Hawk to 30 years in prison. On Jan. 21, 2021, the DeKalb County Police Department arrived around 3:37 a.m. and found Rooks with multiple gunshot wounds at the intersection of Deep Shoals Circle and Corners Crossing in the Panthersville area. EMS confirmed his death. Ten bullet casings were found near his body. Several people in the area reported they heard gunshots, and security camera footage from a nearby home showed a white BMW SUV speeding from the area just a few minutes after the gunfire. Police said Family members said Rooks was last seen with Hawk. He had picked Rooks up from a friend's home in the same kind of vehicle that was seen in the surveillance footage. RELATED STORY: Rapper Silento arrested, accused of murdering his cousin in DeKalb County The SUV was also caught by a Flock camera at the intersection of Panthersville Road and Flat Shoals Road at 2:45 a.m. that same morning, police said. Hawk was arrested Feb. 1, 2021, and admitted to shooting Rooks. Physical evidence corroborated his confession. Ballistics testing matched bullet casings at the scene to a gun found with Hawk when he was arrested. GPS data from his vehicle also placed the vehicle at the murder scene. TRENDING STORIES: Suspected Newton County hit and run driver identified, charged for death of teen They were once best friends, then one killed the other. We take you inside this bizarre murder case Immigration protest ends with tear gas, 6 arrests along Buford Highway; fireworks thrown at officers [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
