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Two men sentenced to life for deadly shooting at Decatur gas station

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Published  May 6, 2025 4:16pm EDT
DeKalb County
FOX 5 Atlanta
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DeKalb County police investigate the deadly shooting of a teenage boy outside a Shell food mart located along Snapfinger Woods Drive on Jan. 10, 2023. (FOX 5)

The Brief

    • Quavion Hale and Stantavis Reese were sentenced to life in prison for the murder of Akhir Muhammad, with Hale receiving life without parole plus 25 years, and Reese life with parole plus 25 years.
    • The jury found both men guilty of multiple charges, including malice murder, felony murder, armed robbery, and possession of a firearm during a felony.
    • Surveillance footage and social media evidence linked Hale and Reese to the crime scene, leading to their arrests in March and December 2023, respectively.

DECATUR, Ga. - Two men have been sentenced to life in prison following their convictions for the 2023 shooting death of 20-year-old Akhir Muhammad outside a gas station in unincorporated Decatur.

SEE ALSO: First arrest made in teen's shooting death at Decatur gas station

What we know:

On Wednesday, DeKalb County Superior Court Judge Gregory A. Adams sentenced Quavion Hale, 20, to life without the possibility of parole plus 25 years. His co-defendant, 18-year-old Stantavis Reese, received a sentence of life with the possibility of parole plus 25 years.

The backstory:

A jury found both men guilty on April 23 of malice murder, two counts of felony murder, armed robbery, aggravated assault, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony.

Authorities said the deadly shooting happened around 6 p.m. on Jan. 10, 2023, at a gas station in the 5000 block of Snapfinger Woods Drive. DeKalb County police officers responded to a report of a shooting and found Muhammad shot multiple times in the back. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Investigators determined Muhammad and a friend had just entered the store when they passed Hale and Reese. Moments after exiting, both defendants allegedly pulled out firearms and demanded the gun Muhammad was lawfully carrying. Before he could respond, the suspects opened fire, striking him in the back.

The pair fled the scene on foot. Reese later returned to retrieve Muhammad’s firearm and Hale’s backpack, according to the investigation.

Surveillance video showed both Hale and Reese arriving at the gas station. Hale could be seen with a distinctive backpack, and Reese was caught on camera inside the store just before the shooting. Investigators also found images on Hale’s social media showing him wearing the same backpack and shoes seen in the video.

Hale was arrested on March 28, 2023, followed by Reese’s arrest on December 8. Both were taken into custody without incident.

The Source: Details from the DeKalb County District Attorney's Office and previous FOX 5 Atlanta reports were used for this article.

DeKalb CountyNewsCrime and Public Safety