DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. - A 27-year-old man will spend the rest of his life in prison after a jury convicted him in a deadly shooting at a Decatur apartment complex, officials announced.
What we know:
DeKalb County prosecutors said Azavier Lilly opened fire during a confrontation on Candler Road, killing 28-year-old Rashad Walker with an untraceable firearm.
DeKalb County police officers responded around 10:30 p.m. on March 6, 2025, to a report of a person shot at an apartment complex on Candler Road in unincorporated Decatur.
Officers found Walker lying in the breezeway of an apartment building with multiple gunshot wounds. First responders pronounced him dead at the scene.
Crime scene investigators recovered four 9mm shell casings from the immediate area.
Witnesses told police that Walker and his girlfriend had been arguing after he took her phone.
The dispute was physical, and the two exchanged blows in front of a crowd.
Walker's girlfriend went into a friend's apartment to cool off and heard multiple gunshots moments later.
Surveillance video showed four men who watched the fight confront Walker in the breezeway and attack him.
Investigators identified Lilly as one of the men who opened fire, killing Walker.
On Aug. 28, a jury found Lilly guilty of malice murder, two counts of felony murder, aggravated assault, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony.
Immediately following the verdict, Superior Court Chief Judge Shondeana C. Morris sentenced Lilly to life in prison with the possibility of parole.
What we don't know:
Investigators were never able to recover the gun used to kill Walker.
However, a Georgia Bureau of Investigation technician testified at trial that the recovered bullets came from a "ghost gun," which is assembled from individual components or kits without serial numbers, making it untraceable.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered from DeKalb County District Attorney Sherry Boston, who announced the conviction and sentencing.