A 25-year-old Covington man is wanted after allegedly firing a gun during a family fight at a home on Wisteria Boulevard, and investigators are warning the public to consider him armed and dangerous. Dezman Hudson is facing multiple charges stemming from the incident, which the Newton County Sheriff's Office says unfolded just before 8 a.m. Thursday.
According to the Atlanta News First, the Newton County Sheriff's Office said Hudson allegedly fired the gun during a domestic dispute at the Wisteria Boulevard residence in Covington. Deputies have not released additional detail about what led up to the gunfire or who else was present at the home.
Hudson now faces a lengthy list of charges tied to the incident. The sheriff's office said he has been charged with aggravated assault, third-degree cruelty to children, battery and possession of a firearm during the commission of certain crimes, according to the station's report.
The gunfire allegations also come against a statewide backdrop of family violence involving firearms. In incidents reported to Georgia law enforcement from 2013 through 2017, firearms were present in fewer than 2% of cases, but caused 495 of the 682 deaths linked to family violence during that period, the Georgia Commission on Family Violence found. Those figures are statewide and historical, not specific to Newton County or this case. The commission’s analysis of Georgia family-violence data found the same lethal risk across urban and rural areas.
Investigators have not publicly detailed who was at the home.
Hudson is also charged with possession of a firearm during the commission of certain crimes.
Sheriff's Office Warns Hudson Is Armed and Dangerous
Authorities have classified Hudson as armed and dangerous as they continue searching for him. That designation underscores the urgency investigators are placing on locating him quickly, per the same account.
The sheriff's office has not released further information about Hudson's whereabouts or the status of any warrant. Anyone with information is asked to call 911 or contact the Newton County Sheriff's Office at 678-625-1429.
