Suspect in cousin’s shooting awaits bullet test

Evidence awaiting analysis at the GBI Crime Lab has the potential to exonerate a Lithonia man charged with the fatal shooting of his cousin, his lawyer said Monday.

David Clark, an attorney for Lagarian LaKeith Hannah, said that a bullet jacket from the fatal gunshot lodged in the victim’s jaw. The jacket has been sent to the GBI. If it turns out that it came from someone else’s gun, Hannah could be freed, Clark said.

By some accounts Hannah and his cousin, 23-year-old Terrance Davis, were best friends. Gwinnett police investigator D. Cruz testified at a probable cause hearing Friday that Hannah fired his gun to disperse a crowd that had gathered around a fist fight in the parking lot of a BP gas station in Duluth on Dec. 21.

A witness who was in the car with Hannah also testified Friday that he saw Hannah fire into the air — a statement which, if proved true, could lead to reduced charges of involuntary manslaughter. However, if Hannah was firing at the crowd, he could still be charged with felony murder because he would have committed felony aggravated assault. Gwinnett police also have not ruled out the possibility that there was another shooter in the crowd, said department spokesman Cpl. David Schiralli.

“The issue is whether it’s felony murder or involuntary manslaughter or an accident,” Clark said.

A motion for a bond was filed in Gwinnett County Superior Court last week, but a hearing date has not yet been set. Clark said his client has a clean record except for a DUI, and he had a permit for the gun.

— Andria Simmons