Gunfire tore through a quiet block of Timbers East Drive near Lithonia on Friday morning, wounding at least two people and striking multiple homes, according to neighbors who spoke with police at the scene. One person was shot in the arm, while another was struck during the shooting, though the victims' conditions were not immediately confirmed.
DeKalb County police were investigating an active shooting scene on the residential street, as first reported by FOX 5 Atlanta. A woman told the outlet that her family's home and at least one other home were struck by gunfire, though it remained unclear how many houses along the block had been hit. Officers cordoned off the area with police tape and placed several evidence markers around the scene as the investigation got underway.
Detectives were seen speaking with people in the neighborhood shortly after 6 a.m. Friday, trying to piece together what led to the shooting. The outlet noted it was still working to confirm the number of victims, their conditions, and the circumstances surrounding the gunfire, and cautioned that details in its report were subject to change as the investigation developed.
A Long-Established Neighborhood on Edge
Timbers East Drive sits in unincorporated DeKalb County's 30058 ZIP code, an area zoned for Princeton Elementary, Stephenson Middle, and Stephenson High School, according to Realtor.com. The Timbers East subdivision was developed in the late 1970s and is made up largely of single-family detached homes averaging roughly 46 years old, per Ansley Real Estate. The block had recently seen infrastructure work completed, with road resurfacing on the street finished as of November 2025 under DeKalb County's SPLOST I quarterly resurfacing initiative.
The street falls under the jurisdiction of DeKalb County Police Department's East Precinct, which operates out of 2484 Bruce Street in Lithonia. The department serves as the primary law enforcement agency for unincorporated DeKalb County, covering more than 700,000 residents across a footprint of over 260 square miles.
Potential Charges if Suspects Are Identified
If investigators identify a suspect, Georgia law carries steep penalties for gunfire that strikes occupied homes. Under Georgia Code § 16-5-21, firing a weapon toward an occupied home or person constitutes aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, a felony punishable by one to 20 years in prison per count. Separately, discharging a firearm on or within 50 yards of a public street without legal justification is a misdemeanor under Georgia Code § 16-11-103, carrying up to 12 months in jail and a $1,000 fine, while firing a weapon on another person's property without permission is a misdemeanor under Georgia Code § 16-11-104 with similar penalties.
Part of a Troubling Pattern Across DeKalb
The Timbers East Drive shooting adds to a string of recent gunfire incidents reported across unincorporated DeKalb County in recent months. Hoodline reported a shooting that wounded two on Rockcliff Road just a day earlier, and other recent incidents have been reported on Lancashire Circle, Hidden Creek Drive, and Snapfinger Woods Drive. Police agencies across DeKalb County recorded 18 homicides in the first quarter of 2026 alone, according to data compiled by the Major Cities Chiefs Association.
FOX 5 reported Friday morning that the circumstances that led to the gunfire on Timbers East Drive and the victims' conditions had not been confirmed. This is a developing story, and Hoodline will update as more information becomes available.
