Deonte Smith

Name:
Smith, Deonte Dimaurcoe

Date of Booking:
12/08/2025

Reason(s) For Booking:
AGGRAVATED ASSAULT 

Officer’s Narrative:
[Please note: The following is a direct transcription from the official initial incident report. The Georgia Gazette does not fix any spelling or grammatical errors that may exist. Any changes or redactions made by our staff are placed inside brackets. Some errors may exist. All subjects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. The topics discussed may be sensitive to some readers. Discretion is advised.]

On August 16, 2025, I, Sgt. Craig Lewis, responded to 6220 Zebulon Road (Waffle House) regarding several gunshots.

Upon arrival, we were advised that there were no shots at the Waffle House but that they were close. Upon checking the area, Deputies were able to find several shell casings on the access road between the Waffle House and Pizza Hut. Deputies in the area were advised that there may have been a dark blue Challenger and Charger chasing a male subject carrying a firearm. Deputies checked the area but did not locate anyone. The area was checked around all the hotels and the woodline to ensure no victims were present.

I spoke with two juvenile females, Ms. [WITNESS #1] and Ms. [WITNESS #2]. They stated that there was a male in the parking lot wearing a face mask. They noted that the male began to dig in his pants, and they ran off because they knew something was about to happen, and that’s when they heard shots. Both had different descriptions of what the male was wearing. One stated that the male was in a white hoodie, while the other noted a black hoodie.

While still in the area, we were contacted that a hotel room from the Wingate hotel had been hit. I then went to the hotel, and the front desk attendant escorted me to room [REDACTED]. Room [REDACTED] had a gunshot go through the window and the wall. The bullet traveled across the hall into Room [REDACTED], where Ms. [VICTIM #1] and Ms. [VICTIM #2] were asleep. Both stated that they heard a loud bang and called the front desk, saying that the wall had “exploded.”

I notified Lt. Purnell of the incident and also called for an on-call Gang investigator. Lt. Byrd was notified of the event and when the footage could be collected from Waffle House.

All the shell casings were collected and taken to the Crime Lab for evidence.

[End of Narrative]