A woman was convicted Friday in the 2019 fatal shooting of her neighbor at a home in DeKalb County, officials said.
Aziza El-Shair was found guilty of voluntary manslaughter, two counts of aggravated assault and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony in the death of Derrick Pharr, the DeKalb District Attorney’s Office said. The 41-year-old was also facing a charge of malice murder, but court records show that she was found not guilty.
On May 29, 2019, police officers said they responded to a home on Weslock Circle near Gresham Park and found Pharr shot in the stomach and lying in the front yard. Three people attempting to help the 33-year-old identified El-Shair as the shooter.
El-Shair was sitting inside a Dodge Journey parked on the street waiting for police to take her into custody at the time, according to DA spokeswoman Claire Chaffins.
Officials said they discovered that before the shooting occurred, El-Shair’s then-husband went to Pharr’s parents’ house because he thought Pharr had stolen his gun. The husband told a relative there that Pharr needed to come to his house, which was just down the road.
Pharr arrived at the house shortly after but El-Shair, who was pulling up to the home in her car, became angry that Pharr was there. Chaffins said El-Shair grabbed her gun, fired a shot into the air and demanded that Pharr leave.
He left the property and drove to his parents’ home, but noticed that El-Shair had followed him, authorities stated. As Pharr got out of his car, officials said El-Shair fired multiple shots at him, striking him once. Pharr fired back and missed, according to Chaffins.
Witnesses told law enforcement that El-Shair put several shell casings into a nearby storm drain before driving around the block and returning to the scene.
Sentencing has not been scheduled in the case.
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