Man sentenced to life in prison for 2008 retribution murder in Atlanta
A Fulton County judge sentenced a man to life in prison after a jury convicted him in the 2008 murder of a 17-year-old Atlanta man.
Dakota Swann, 36, was accused of shooting Shannon Williams in the head without uttering a word beforehand, Fulton County prosecutors said. The shooting happened on Jan. 8, 2008 on Little Street near Turner Field, authorities said. Williams died eight days later from his injuries. Swann was arrested in May 2013.
Swann was convicted late Thursday of murder and weapons offenses. The sentence of life plus five years in prison was handed down by Superior Court Judge Kimberly Esmond Adams.
Another man with Williams at the time of the incident identified Swann as the shooter, prosecutors said. Two other witnesses also identified Swann as the man fleeing the scene with a gun.
Swann believed Williams shot him in the leg in 2007, although that allegation was never proven, investigators said.
About the Author
Eric Stirgus joined The Atlanta Journal-Constitution in 2001. He is the newsroom's education editor. Born and raised in Brooklyn, N.Y., Eric is active in the Atlanta Association of Black Journalists and the Education Writers Association and enjoys mentoring aspiring journalists.
