A dispute over a firearm's presence in a Decatur residence ended in the killing of 28-year-old Kali Winston and has led to a life sentence for the shooter, his roommate Zakariya Wildman. In reports from Atlanta News First, Wildman, aged 25, was found guilty by a DeKalb County jury on multiple accounts, including malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony.
The fatal incident occurred on January 12, 2023, after Wildman, having bought a gun earlier that day, was firing at targets in the backyard of their Meadowlark Drive home which roused unease among neighbors, especially those with children; and when Winston confronted his roommate about the gun a physical altercation erupted, which resulted in Winston receiving a black eye before other roommates intervened to separate them. According to a statement obtained by 11Alive, Wildman then retrieved his firearm and shot Winston in the chest in their shared living space.
Post the shooting, Wildman attempted to flee but was soon apprehended by authorities as he walked through the neighborhood. Despite his later self-defense claim, the District Attorney's office underscored that the confrontation had ceased before the fatal shot was fired, discounting Wildman's assertion of necessity for his actions.
Winston's girlfriend, who also lived at the residence and is reported to have witnessed the shooting, observed the altercation between the two men and Wildman's ensuing retrieval of the gun and the deadly action that followed, ultimately the courtroom deliberations led to the conviction, sealing Wildman's fate behind bars for life without possessing the chance at a do-over, according to a release from the district attorney's office.
