# Sleepover Shattered: The DeKalb County Shooting

- Link: https://thedarksideofhumanity.com/sleepover-dekalb-county-shooting/
- Published: 2026-07-17T00:56:32-04:00
- Author: Mandi Martyr

DeKalb County, Georgia, highlighted. The shooting took place in the county. Credit: David Benbennick / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain). Just before 4 a.m. on Thursday, July 2, 2026, someone fired dozens of rounds from a vehicle into a white brick house in DeKalb County, Georgia. Inside, a group of boys was asleep at a summer sleepover. Two people died: Demarcus Shirley, 13, and Chauncey Newman, 45, the man the boys called “Pops.” A dog in the house was also shot and killed. Nobody else was hurt. Two suspects have been arrested and charged with murder: Keyshun Webb, 21, on July 7, and a 16-year-old boy, not named because of his age, on August 11. Neither has been tried. Both are presumed innocent. Chauncey Newman Newman’s neighbors and the boys who stayed with him described the house as something between a home and a refuge. Abron Dix, who lives next door, told WSB-TV that Newman was running what he called an unofficial group home, with about ten boys staying there on any given day. “He was trying to do what he could do to aid children and these teenagers in life,” Dix said. Friends told the station Newman had a troubled childhood in Baltimore and turned his life around in Atlanta. A childhood friend from Maryland told WSB he could not believe Newman had worked so hard to get out of Baltimore only to be killed in metro Atlanta. One of the boys told WSB that Pops “let us come over there when we had nowhere else to go,” and that any kid walking around with nowhere to go could stay. The boys said he was like a father to all of them. Newman’s family set up a GoFundMe after his death, FOX 5 Atlanta reported. Demarcus Shirley Demarcus did not live at the house. His great-uncle, Greg Carthon, told Atlanta News First he was there for the sleepover. Carthon told FOX 5 that the family described him as energetic, athletic, intelligent and soft-spoken, and that he had recently taken part in family mentoring sessions meant to prepare younger boys for manhood, where he was “one of the most eager to learn.” To WSB, Carthon said: “He had a lot of life in front of him. He was a loved member of our family.” The Shooting DeKalb County police were called to the scene around 4 a.m. after reports of gunfire, FOX 5 reported. Investigators found that multiple rounds had been fired into the house from outside. WSB-TV, at the scene as homicide detectives arrived, reported that evidence markers had been placed on the brick where the bullets hit, and that detectives said nine other people were in the home and were not injured. One boy told WSB that ten people were there that night, “including Pops and other adults.” The boys told the station they had been asleep. One said they woke to shots, came out, found Demarcus and tried to grab him, and he was already dead. Another said all he heard was a loud thump before he went upstairs and saw him. The survivors said the bullets flew right past them. “Demarcus had too much life to live,” one said. “He died too young.” Neighbors told FOX 5 they had never noticed unusual activity at the house. Some told WSB they did not believe Newman was the target and were not sure the boys were either. Police did not say whether the house was targeted. The First Arrest The post office in Hampton, Georgia, 2015. Keyshun Webb was arrested in Hampton, more than 20 miles south of the shooting. Credit: Michael Rivera / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0). On Tuesday, July 7, the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office Fugitive Unit, with the U.S. Marshals Service and Clayton County police, arrested Keyshun Webb, 21, in the 1700 block of Portwest Way in Hampton, more than 20 miles south of the shooting. He was booked into the DeKalb County Jail and held without bond. He faces 11 felony charges: two counts of murder, eight counts of aggravated assault with a weapon and one count of cruelty to animals. “This arrest demonstrates the importance of strong partnerships between our Fugitive Unit and our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners,” Sheriff Melody M. Maddox said. What the Warrants Say Atlanta News First reported what the arrest warrants allege. According to the arrest warrants, dozens of shots were fired into the house from a vehicle Webb was seen driving around the time. Video footage, the warrants say, shows Webb was also involved in a separate drive-by shooting the same day. Shell casings at both scenes matched. The warrants describe two vehicles and four male suspects, including Webb, and say gang involvement was “likely.” Police have not named the other two suspects described in the warrants. These are allegations in charging documents, not findings by a court. The Second Arrest The historic DeKalb County Courthouse on the square in Decatur, Georgia, 2015. The second suspect was arrested in Decatur. Credit: Marc Merlin / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0). The sheriff’s office said it identified a 16-year-old as a suspect in early August. He had been evading capture since August 5. On Tuesday, August 11, deputies and U.S. Marshals arrested him at a home in the 2200 block of Flat Shoals Road in Decatur. He was taken to a local youth detention center. He faces 17 felony charges: two counts of malice murder, ten counts of aggravated assault, four counts of violating Georgia’s Street Gang Terrorism and Prevention Act and one count of possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony. “This was a senseless act of violence that took two innocent lives and left families and a community hurting,” Maddox said. What Is Not Known Officials have not stated a motive. They have not said whether the house was the intended target, who the other suspects described in the warrants are, or whether more arrests are expected. Sheriff’s statements describe Webb as the man who fired into the house; the role alleged against the 16-year-old has not been described publicly beyond the charges. Legal Status As of October 16, 2026, Keyshun Webb is charged with two counts of murder, eight counts of aggravated assault with a weapon and one count of cruelty to animals, and was last reported held without bond in the DeKalb County Jail. A 16-year-old is charged with two counts of malice murder, ten counts of aggravated assault, four Street Gang Act counts and a firearm count. No indictment, plea or trial date for either has been reported in the sources reviewed. Both are presumed innocent. Frequently Asked Questions What happened at the DeKalb County sleepover? Just before 4 a.m. on July 2, 2026, someone fired dozens of rounds from a vehicle into a house in DeKalb County, Georgia, during a sleepover. Who was killed? Demarcus Shirley, 13, and Chauncey Newman, 45, the man the boys called “Pops.” A dog was also killed. Who was Chauncey Newman? A neighbor described him as running an unofficial group home, with about ten boys staying there on any given day. Who has been arrested? Keyshun Webb, 21, on July 7, 2026, in Hampton, and a 16-year-old boy on August 11 in Decatur. What is Keyshun Webb charged with? Two counts of murder, eight counts of aggravated assault with a weapon and one count of cruelty to animals. What is the 16-year-old charged with? Two counts of malice murder, ten counts of aggravated assault, four Street Gang Act counts and a firearm count. Has anyone been tried? No. No indictment, plea or trial date has been reported. Both suspects are presumed innocent. Sources WSB-TV: “13-year-old, man killed after someone opens fire on home” and “Deadly double shooting that killed teen, adult at slumber party shocks community” (July 2, 2026); “Man killed in shooting served as mentor to teens in neighborhood” (July 2026); “Teen arrested in sleepover shooting that killed 13-year-old and adult” (August 11, 2026). FOX 5 Atlanta: “13-year-old, man identified after DeKalb sleepover drive-by”; “Suspect mug shot released in DeKalb slumber party shooting” (July 2026); “Man, 13-year-old killed in DeKalb drive-by shooting; teen arrested” (August 2026). Atlanta News First: “Suspect arrested in shooting deaths of 13-year-old boy, man during DeKalb County sleepover” (July 7, 2026); “16-year-old suspect arrested…” (August 11, 2026). CBS News Atlanta, July 7 and August 2026; 95.5 WSB Radio, July 7, 2026.