A man arrested in the fatal shooting of a 19-year-old woman at a DeKalb County bus stop last November has been indicted by a grand jury on multiple counts of murder, armed robbery, aggravated assault and possession of a firearm during commission of a felony.
Christopher Merritt of Lithonia was charged in the Nov. 23 killing of Marcaysia Dawkins, a 2014 Lithonia High School graduate. As Dawkins waited for a bus to go to work, Merritt attempted to steal her handbag, prosecutors said. During the struggle, Merritt fatally shot Dawkins twice with a 9mm handgun and fled the scene with the victim’s belongings. Video surveillance footage from a nearby business captured the shooting.
Merritt, 18, was arrested later that week at an abandoned apartment in Lithonia.
“It’s truly a disturbing thought that Ms. Dawkins could have been anyone on any given day,” District Attorney Robert James said Friday in a statement. “The life of a vibrant, young and hardworking 19-year-old woman was taken away in broad daylight.”
No arraignment date has been scheduled in the case, according to James’ office.
In a separate case, Merritt was charged with the armed robbery of Farah Griffin last July 2. According to the indictment, Merritt “did unlawfully take a purse” from Griffin “by the use of a handgun.”
Police last year said he was also suspected in three sexual assault cases and had multiple charges against him including rape.
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