The man accused of fatally shooting a stranded driver at the Starlight Drive-in Theater in May pleaded not guilty Monday.

Quentric Shaymond Williams has been charged with murder, two counts of felony murder – or committing a felony that results in someone’s death – aggravated assault, two counts each of aggravated assault of a peace officer and fleeing to elude police, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, in connection with the death of martial arts expert Mitt Lenix.

Prosecutors say Williams, 28, shot and killed Lenix on the night of May 15, as Lenix was seeking help to jump-start his car.

He pleaded not guilty and declined a pretrial probable cause hearing Monday morning.

After the May shooting incident, prosecutors say Williams sped away from the theater on the south end of Moreland Drive followed by DeKalb County police in hot pursuit.

One of those policemen rushing to the join the chase – former officer Jason Cooper – struck and killed Clinton Hightower as Hightower walked across Memorial Drive that evening.

Police chased Williams to Gwinnett County, where he allegedly ditched his rented truck and tossed one of the handguns he had in his possession.

He was arrested the next day in a hotel room near Duluth and remains in the DeKalb County jail without bond.

About the Author

Featured

Fulton DA Fani Willis (center) with Nathan J. Wade (right), the special prosecutor she hired to manage the Trump case and had a romantic relationship with, at a news conference announcing charges against President-elect Donald Trump and others in Atlanta, Aug. 14, 2023. Georgia’s Supreme Court on Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025, upheld an appeals court's decision to disqualify Willis from the election interference case against Trump and his allies. (Kenny Holston/New York Times)

Credit: NYT