Teen killed in self-defense shooting during dispute, DeKalb police say

A dispute between two men in a Lithonia neighborhood Monday evening led to an exchange of gunfire that left one dead and one critically injured, DeKalb County police said.

Police detained several people as they investigated the shooting but determined the fatal shot was fired in self-defense, according to DeKalb police spokeswoman Michaela Vincent.

Officers responded to a home on Stablewood Way around 6:30 p.m. after reports of a shooting, Vincent confirmed. At the scene, they found a 25-year-old man suffering from a gunshot wound. He was taken to the hospital in critical condition and remained there Tuesday morning.

A short while later, an 18-year-old man was found nearby with a gunshot wound. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Police did not identify either of the victims.

Investigators determined the teenager was the first to begin shooting, and he was shot and killed by a third man at the scene. Because that man fired in self-defense, no charges will be filed against him, Vincent said.