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Gwinnett County man disguised himself as delivery driver during deadly Cobb County shooting

By and FOX 5 Atlanta Digital Team
Updated  January 5, 2024 12:20am EST
Cobb County
FOX 5 Atlanta

Man face murder charges for gunning down love rival

The suspect in a deadly Cobb County apartment shooting just went before a judge for the first time. Police say he pretended to be a delivery driver to lure the victim to his death.

COBB COUNTY, Ga. - Police have arrested the man they believe is responsible for the shooting death of Kenneth Cunningham II outside a Cobb County apartment building on Wednesday.

Donovan Carter, 33, of Gwinnett County, has been charged in the shooting death of 40-year-old Cunningham outside the Harlow Apartments in the 2100 block of Cobb Parkway SE.

Carter made his first appearance before a magistrate judge on Thursday on charges of malice murder, aggravated assault, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime.

"This is an incredibly different scenario than we would typically encounter," said Chuck McPhilamy of the Marietta Police Department.

POLICE ID MAN SHOT, KILLED OUTSIDE MARIETTA APARTMENT

Investigators say Cunningham, who was dating Carter's ex-girlfriend, was lured out of his Marietta apartment building with Carter posing as a delivery driver. 

"It happened to have been the victim's 40th birthday. So, this would have been a day that you would have been expecting to receive some of a package of some kind from a friend or a family member," McPhilamy said. 

Donovan Carter

Police say he was even in disguise.

"We can now confirm that the suspect did wear a costume to appear like they were a delivery driver. They did use that to then lure that victim out of their own residence and then subsequently shoot them to death," McPhilamy said. 

Multiple law enforcement agencies responded around 10:30 a.m. to the shooting in the 2100 block of Cobb Parkway SE since it was near the city limits, contributing to a massive manhunt for the shooter.

"You have the sheriff's office with drones in the air. You have the Cobb County Police Department activating their Real-Time Crime Center. You had Cobb County Police with their canines, our officers and our investigators," McPhilamy said. 

Cunningham had been shot multiple times, police say.

Eventually, Carter was identified and was taken into custody during a traffic stop by Gwinnett County police on Wednesday evening.

He was booked into the Cobb County Adult Detention Center where he is being held without bond.