Stone Mountain man sentenced to life without parole for 2019 shooting over dog
Rontell Devon Shelton. Courtesy of DeKalb County
DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. - A DeKalb County jury has convicted a Stone Mountain man of murder and multiple felony charges for two separate shootings at the same apartment complex in December 2019, one of which resulted in a fatality.
What we know:
District Attorney Sherry Boston announced that 40-year-old Rontell Devon Shelton was found guilty April 18 of Malice Murder, Felony Murder, Aggravated Assault, and multiple firearm offenses in the shooting death of 28-year-old Jordan McPherson. The incident occurred on Dec. 30, 2019, at an apartment complex in the 1000 block of South Hairston Road.
ORIGINAL STORY: Police: Man shot, killed at apartment complex over dog
What they're saying:
According to investigators, McPherson was helping retrieve his loose dogs outside his apartment when one of them ran up to Shelton. Witnesses said Shelton kicked the dog, prompting McPherson to question him. Shelton responded by shooting McPherson multiple times in front of two children, ages 12 and 15. McPherson died at the scene.
Shooting on Hairston Road, 2019. FOX 5 Atlanta file photo
Just 11 days earlier, Shelton shot another man at the same complex. The victim, who initially declined to press charges, later provided a statement identifying Shelton as the shooter. He told police the altercation stemmed from a confrontation involving his girlfriend and her ex-boyfriend, identified as Shelton. The man was shot in the arm and abdomen but survived.
Ballistics testing confirmed that shell casings from both incidents were fired from the same weapon.
The jury also convicted Shelton on charges related to the earlier shooting, including Aggravated Assault, Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon, and Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Felony.
What's next:
Following the guilty verdicts, DeKalb County Superior Court Judge Asha Jackson sentenced Shelton to life without the possibility of parole, plus 25 additional years.
The case was prosecuted by Senior Assistant District Attorney Jennifer Scacco of the Homicide and Gang Unit, with support from ADA Reid White, DA investigators, and victim advocates. Detectives Redrick and Byars of the DeKalb County Police Department led the investigation.