Almost two years after a Midtown shooting spree shocked Atlanta, the suspect will not see a courtroom just yet. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that Raissa Kengne, accused of the shooting that left two men dead and another wounded, has been declared "not competent" to stand trial. The ruling was delivered last Friday by Fulton County Superior Court Judge Shukura Ingram.
The court's decision came after Kengne underwent a psychological evaluation. The details, as laid out in court documents, indicate that she is presently unable to understand the nature of the charges stacked against her. The state has chosen not to contest this finding. It follows that Kengne will now be moved from the custody of the Fulton County Sheriff's Office to that of the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities.
According to FOX 5 Atlanta, after a 90-day stay with the Department of Behavioral Health, a reevaluation will determine if Kengne might stand trial at a future date. If deemed mentally competent, "the department shall immediately report that finding and the reasons therefor to this Court," as stated by Judge Ingram. Kengne, arrested hours after the shootings at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, faces charges including murder and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
The violent episode that unfolded on August 22, 2022, took the lives of Michael Shinners and Wesley Freeman and severely wounded Michael Horne. The incident rippled through Atlanta, leaving families bereft and a community grappling with the sudden violence. Last year, Horne had a chance to reunite with the paramedics who saved his life, a small beacon of light in a story marked by tragedy. His grandchildren thanked Atlanta Fire Rescue's Paramedic Engine 23 with hand-drawn cards, one such card reading, "Thank you for saving Poppy's life," recounted by FOX 5 Atlanta.
