Man kills girlfriend, shoots 2 others during family gathering in DeKalb County

A man has been sentenced to life in prison after being convicted of killing his girlfriend and shooting three other women during a family gathering at their Lithonia home.

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Demario Flanagan, 47, was found guilty by a jury on Nov. 10 in the October 2023 shooting that left 26-year-old Eternity “Destiny” Johnson dead and two other women seriously injured. A fourth woman was also targeted but escaped without being hit.

According to the DeKalb County District Attorney’s Office, officers responded around 2:46 a.m. on Oct. 1, 2023, to reports of a shooting at a home in the 1700 block of Waterton Drive.

When officers arrived, they found Flanagan standing beside a car. He claimed women inside the home had attacked him with knives, admitted to shooting them and told officers the guns were inside the vehicle.

Investigators said Johnson was hosting a gathering with family and friends at the home she and Flanagan had recently purchased. Several adults and children, including their infant child, were inside.

Witnesses told investigators that Johnson had paid for the home and had expressed frustration that Flanagan and his children were disrespecting her and spending her money. After guests encouraged her to stand up for herself, Johnson confronted Flanagan.

Family members eventually separated the two, and Flanagan went upstairs. But he returned carrying a rifle and asked why the women were still talking.

He then opened fire, hitting Johnson’s 32-year-old cousin twice and shooting a 31-year-old family friend as she tried to run away.

The family friend managed to escape to the garage, where she hid with several children who had left when the shooting started.

Flanagan then approached Johnson, who was holding their baby and trying to reason with him. He took the baby from her, grabbed a second gun and shot her four times in the legs and pelvic area.

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After shooting the three women, Flanagan reportedly paced around the kitchen before grabbing knives and placing them in front of Johnson and her cousin.

When Johnson’s cousin asked him for help, he responded, “Die [expletive], you tried to kill me,” according to prosecutors.

A fourth woman, a 24-year-old friend of Johnson’s, had run upstairs and hidden in a bedroom with children. Flanagan followed her upstairs, told the children to leave and fired twice at the woman. Both shots missed, and she hid in a closet until officers arrived.

Johnson was taken to a hospital, where she died shortly after arriving.

Her cousin suffered critical injuries, underwent several surgeries and spent more than a month in the hospital. She used a wheelchair for a year following the shooting. The family friend also suffered serious injuries and required surgery.

Investigators said officers found no visible injuries on Flanagan, and physical evidence did not support his claim that he had been attacked. He was arrested.

Flanagan was convicted of malice murder, felony murder, criminal attempt to commit murder, aggravated assault family violence, two counts of aggravated assault, two counts of cruelty to children and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony.

Following the verdict, A judge sentenced him to life in prison with the possibility of parole, plus 60 additional years to serve consecutively.

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