ROCKDALE COUNTY, Ga. — The widow of a Conyers father shot and killed over the weekend says her late husband was trying to protect his younger cousin when gunfire rang out at a friend’s house party.
Aaliyah McGriff says her husband and father of their children, Dearrious Davenport, 30, was at a house party with his cousins Friday when an argument escalated into gun violence. McGriff says she was at home when she learned her husband had died.
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“He didn’t like to argue (and) he didn’t like to fight,” she told Channel 2’s Michael Seiden by phone. “The only thing I know is he was trying to defend one of his female cousins. I heard that he ended up trying to call 911 before the dude pulled the gun out to shoot him in his chest.”
Police identified the shooter as Tamorris Tyler, of Conyers. He’s currently being held in jail on multiple charges, including murder.
Less than 24 hours after the deadly shooting, police responded to a second shooting on Forest Villa Drive, where family and friends had gathered for a candlelight vigil. No one was injured, but police say the gunfire hit two cars and came within inches of killing a 3-year-old child and their 15-year-old sibling.
“That 3-year-old was ultimately saved because of a headrest,” said Capt. Quantavis Garcia. “Investigators found a round located just above the 3-year-old.”
Police believe that both shootings are connected, but they’re still working to identify a suspect or suspects in Saturday’s shooting.
“It is believed that the family members of either party were involved in another verbal altercation, and at some point, there was an exchange of gunfire or there was shots fired by the suspect who ultimately struck two vehicles,” he added.
On Tuesday, Conyers police announced a $5,000 reward for any information that leads officers to a shooter or shooters. Anyone with information regarding either shooting is encouraged to submit a tip anonymously to the Crimes Stoppers Atlanta tip line at 404-577-TIPS (8477) or online at www.StopCrimeAtl.org.
McGriff told Channel 2 that her late husband was U.S. Army veteran who worked hard to provide for his family.
“He was a very strong person and a happy person,” she said. “He was just always living in the moment all the time.”
If you would like to help out McGriff and her family, you can donate to them at their GoFundMe.
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