DeKalb police are searching for a man they say shot and critically injured his girlfriend in front of the woman’s teenage daughter Sunday night.

Officers called to the 280 block of Walter Way just before midnight found a 40-year-old woman with a gunshot wound, DeKalb police Maj. Stephen Fore told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Monday.

Johnny Hale, the woman’s 38-year-old boyfriend, came to the location and started an argument, Fore said.

“The victim put [Hale] out of the house and as he was walking away, he produced a handgun and fired a round through the front screen door striking the victim,” Fore said.

The victim’s 16-year-old daughter witnessed the shooting, he said.

Hale ran from the scene.

The victim was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta, where she was listed in critical condition.

— Please return to AJC.com for updates.

About the Author

Keep Reading

Linda Tran works with staff to prepare large platters for each table during the Thanksgiving Celebration at the First Senior Center on Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025, in Norcross. Linda and her sister Von Tran, who jointly operate the First Senior Center, are refugees with a harrowing survival story of leaving Vietnam as children. (Jason Getz/AJC)

Credit: Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com

Featured

Marquay Collins reviews Hattie B's in Atlanta in a video posted on Nov. 10, 2025. (marquaythegoat/TikTok)

Credit: @marquaythegoat