Mother speaks out after her son is killed for getting into the wrong car in Atlanta
The tragic shooting of 16-year-old Ralph Yarl in Kansas City has shed light on a string of tragic incidents where people have been shot and sometimes killed for accidentally going to the wrong house. In one Atlanta man’s case, his life was lost after he got into the wrong car.
Four months ago, Trayvon Dunnaville was gunned down at a South Fulton, Georgia, gas station after mistaking another person’s vehicle for his pregnant fiancée’s. On Monday (April 17), Dericole Daniels, the alleged gunman, was released from jail on a $150,000 bond. He is charged with misdemeanor voluntary manslaughter.
“I don’t think it’s fair,” T.C., Dunnaville’s mother, told Atlanta news station WSB-TV on Friday (April 21). The grief-stricken woman said she will never forget Dec. 12, 2022, the day her 26-year-old son’s life was cut short over an innocent mistake. In security footage obtained by police, the expectant father is seen walking from the gas station store while texting. His fiancée was sitting in their car to the right, but the passenger door Dunnaville opened was parked at a gas pump on the left.
T.C. said her son opened the door without looking up. Within seconds, he was shot four times. His fiancée ran from their car and pleaded for Daniels not to continue shooting. “He saw my son coming towards him,” said T.C. “He was parked like this. So you see him coming. He could have locked his doors, or he could have said, ‘May I help you?’ or something. He did nothing but shoot.”
Through tears, she added, “Just because people make mistakes and open up somebody’s door, they don’t have to shoot them.” Police say the incident is still being looked into. “Our office has an ongoing investigation regarding the matter,” read a statement. “If a decision is made to seek a felony indictment, this office will prosecute it in Superior Court. If the decision is made to leave it as a misdemeanor as the police cited it, it will be prosecuted in state court by the Solicitor’s Office.”
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