A Decatur teenager pleaded guilty Friday to killing a 6-year-old boy while shooting up a home in May 2018.
Meshon Williams, 18, fired at a DeKalb County home in the 300 block of Sweetgum Lane and struck Z’Mari Mitchell in the head. Mitchell died four days later in the hospital, according to DeKalb police spokeswoman Yvette Jones.
Williams was sentenced to life with the possibility of parole, plus five years on probation.
The incident stemmed from a feud in which Williams drove a group of girls to Mitchell’s home to confront his sister over a social media post involving a boy, Jones said in a news release.
After Mitchell’s parents broke up the altercation, Williams and the group of girls left. Shortly after, Williams got out of a car and shot at the home at least 31 times, according to the news release.
Only two of the bullets hit the home, but one hit Mitchell in the head, AJC.com previously reported.
“I know my baby was dead,” Mitchell’s mother, Trisha Mitchell, previously said. “I just didn’t want to lose my baby.”
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Williams was arrested five days after the shooting. He was found by a K-9 unit in bushes attempting to flee authorities after leading them on a high-speed chase on Kelly Lake Drive. He also struck a motorist during the chase, according to the release.
Williams told police he acted in self-defense at the time of the shooting. He said he heard gunshots coming from the home before he shot.
However, witness testimony did not support that claim, DeKalb police said.
MORE: Teen claims self-defense in shooting that killed DeKalb 6-year-old
Two days before the shooting, DeKalb police tried to stop Williams outside Spring Valley Apartments on Misty Waters Drive because he was driving a stolen vehicle. He struck a patrol car multiple times while the officer was inside, then fled the scene after a brief chase, the release said.
ALSO: Mom broken by death of DeKalb boy, 6, shot due to social media feud
Williams entered a guilty plea to felony murder, eight counts of aggravated assault, fleeing or attempting to elude a police officer and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony.
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