On Wednesday, January 29, Georgia police pulled over a driver at a traffic stop during the night. They were shocked to find that a dead body was occupying the passenger seat of the vehicle. The deceased was then identified as 21-year-old Malachi Mitchell. After questioning the vehicle's driver, police released him, pending the result of an investigation.
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A Douglas County Sheriff's Office news release, shared with Atlanta News First, stated that police stopped the vehicle at the Thronton Road and Interstate 20 traffic stop. After finding the dead body, the Criminal Investigations Division and Crime Scene Unit arrived at the scene to investigate it.
The unnamed driver was then transported to the Douglas County Sheriff's Office. He was fully cooperative with the authorities. After his questioning ended, he was released "pending the outcome of an ongoing investigation." The news release then confirmed the identity of the deceased 21-year-old as Malachi A. Mitchell.
Investigation
Malachi's mother, Kenya Mitchell was shocked after learning about her son's death. "Very well accomplished young man, grew up in a great home in a good family. Grew up in the church," she said about Malachi.
However, Kenya was also flabbergasted 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 continued. "Do the right thing. Have some integrity about yourself. How can you sleep at night, knowing you took somebody's baby away from them?"
According to Atlanta News First, the Douglas County Sheriff's Office has not confirmed whether Malachi Mitchell was shot or if the vehicle's driver confessed to any crime. Moreover, the reason why the vehicle was pulled over is unknown at the time.
The sheriff's office has heightened patrols after law enforcement reported that the driver's family has been receiving threats following the incident. The Douglas County District Attorney's Office stated that they "will not make any charging decision or draw any conclusions until we review the evidence."
