On Wednesday, January 29, Georgia police pulled over a driver during a nighttime traffic stop. They were shocked to discover a dead body in the passenger seat of the vehicle.
Malachi Mitchell, 21, was later identified as the deceased. After questioning the vehicle’s driver, police released him pending the outcome of the investigation.
According to a Douglas County Sheriff’s Office news release shared with Atlanta News First, the vehicle was stopped at the intersection of Thronton Road and Interstate 20.
Following the discovery of the dead body, the Criminal Investigations Division and Crime Scene Unit arrived to investigate.
The unnamed driver was then taken to the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office. He fully cooperated with the authorities. Following his questioning, he was released “pending the outcome of an ongoing investigation.” Malachi A. Mitchell, the 21-year-old who died, was then identified in a news release.
Kenya Mitchell, Malachi’s mother, was shocked to learn of her son’s death. “Very accomplished young man who grew up in a wonderful home with a good family. Malachi grew up in the church, she explained.
However, Kenya was also taken aback by the decision to let the vehicle’s driver go after questioning.
“The person who shot and confessed to shooting my son is at home within hours of them finding my son’s body in the car with this young man that was supposed to be purchasing a gun from my son,” she told me. “Do the correct thing. Maintain some integrity about yourself. “How can you sleep at night knowing you took someone’s baby away?”
According to Atlanta News First, the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office has not confirmed whether Malachi Mitchell was shot or if the driver of the vehicle admitted to any crime. Furthermore, the reason for the vehicle being pulled over was unknown at the time.
The sheriff’s office increased patrols after law enforcement reported that the driver’s family had received threats following the incident. The Douglas County District Attorney’s Office stated that they “will not make any charging decisions or draw any conclusions until we have reviewed the evidence.”
