7-year-old boy killed at Lithonia gas station after father leaves loaded gun in car

DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. - A 7-year-old boy is dead, and his father has been arrested for murder after a shooting at a gas station at 1801 Rock Chapel Road in Lithonia.

Surveillance cameras at the Texaco gas station show 42-year-old Dante Daugherty pulled up to a pump with his 6 and 7-year-old sons on Sept. 4. The boys briefly exited the vehicle, but got back in as Daugherty entered the store.

A short time later, the 6-year-old bolted out of the passenger side door and ran off. When the father returned, he discovered the 7-year-old, later identified as Zayre Daugherty, was dead.

The DeKalb County Police Department and medics responded to a person shot call at the location at about 6:30 p.m.

Daugherty was arrested and taken to DeKalb County Jail.

FOX 5 obtained arrest warrants that state Daugherty left a loaded pistol in the vehicle and the children found it when he walked into the store. Zayre had been shot in the head.

However, none of the store employees reported hearing gunfire

"He comes here all the time," Akbar Dhanani said. "He is a regular customer and I feel so bad. He is like family, you know. I feel so sad for them."

Daugherty is being charged with two counts of cruelty to children in the 2nd degree and one count of murder in the 2nd degree.

The police say no other information is available at this time.

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