Two men who fired at least 11 shots at another man as he tried to run were convicted of murder Friday and sentenced to life in prison, plus five years, the Fulton County District Attorney said.
A jury convicted Freedell Benton, 26, and Quantavious Guffie, 22, on charges of murder, felony murder, aggravated assault and weapons offenses in the shooting death of 24-year-old Drexel Berry, DA Paul Howard said.
Berry of East Point was shot multiple times May 29, 2013, on Cooper Street and ran to another street to get help.
“He was struck multiple times and ran several blocks to Pryor Street, where he collapsed,” Sgt. Greg Lyon with Atlanta police said the day of the shooting. “He saw someone on the porch and ran to them for aid.”
Benton and Guffie lured Berry to the courtyard of a Cooper Street apartment complex under the premise of buying marijuana, according to investigators. Once the men had Berry cornered, they confronted him about a previous shooting that left another man paralyzed, Howard’s office said. Berry had been implicated in the previous shooting, but not charged as the gunman.
Berry was transported to Grady Memorial Hospital, where he later died. Anonymous tips led police to Guffie and Benton, who were arrested about two weeks later.
Guffie and Benton each have prior criminal histories, records show. Benton is a two-time convicted felon and was last released from prison in February 2011, according to the Georgia Department of Corrections.
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