Man sentenced in deadly Valentine's Day double shooting in Stonecrest

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Javoka Shumaker (DeKalb County Sheriff's Office)

DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. - DeKalb County District Attorney Sherry Boston announced the conviction of Javoka Shumaker, 46, in connection with a deadly double shooting that took place on Valentine's Day, 2024. A jury found Shumaker guilty of multiple charges, including malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault, and cruelty to children in the first degree.

What we know:

On Thursday, July 31, Shumaker was convicted after a jury trial. On Thursday, DeKalb County Superior Court Judge Gregory A. Adams sentenced him to life in prison without the possibility of parole, plus 90 years, to be served consecutively.

The backstory:

The shooting occurred on Feb. 14, 2024, outside an apartment building on Embarcadero Road in Stonecrest. DeKalb County Police responded to reports of gunfire and found two victims, Paul Wilson, 23, who was pronounced dead at the scene, and a 28-year-old woman who had been shot in the leg and chest.

The female victim, who survived the attack, identified Shumaker, her ex-boyfriend, as the shooter. She explained to investigators that the couple had ended their relationship a month prior, but Shumaker continued to come and go from the apartment, even after she changed the locks. On the night before the shooting, Wilson had stayed at her apartment.

Paul Wilson (Photo submitted by family)

The morning of the shooting, the victim and Wilson were loading their belongings into a co-worker’s car when Shumaker approached them. He began arguing with the woman before pistol-whipping her and knocking her to the ground. Surveillance video shows Shumaker then pointing a handgun at Wilson, who tried to flee but collapsed on the ground. As the woman attempted to escape to the car with her child, Shumaker shot her before calmly leaving the scene on a motorcycle.

The woman was rushed to Grady Memorial Hospital in critical condition. Her co-worker and child were unharmed as they fled the scene during the shooting. Previous police reports had documented domestic disputes between Shumaker and the victim, although he had not been arrested in those instances. 

Dig deeper:

Shumaker also had a prior conviction for domestic violence involving a different victim in Gwinnett County.