Thursday, December 14, 2023

State v. Raymon Pierre

Decatur, Ga.- DeKalb County District Attorney Sherry Boston announces a conviction by jury trial in the case of a Decatur man accused in a confrontation that led to gunfire inside Perimeter Mall. 

On Wednesday, a jury found Raymon Pierre, 22, guilty on a charge of Aggravated Assault stemming from the shooting on January 6, 2023. 

According to the investigation, officers with the Dunwoody Police Department responded to a call of shots fired at Perimeter Mall around 4:45 p.m.  When they arrived, they saw people running from the building.  Officers found Che’saun Lacey, 20, lying on the floor with a gunshot wound to his chest. 

Witnesses told investigators Lacey had been involved in a verbal dispute with three other men that escalated to gunfire.  The three men were seen running from the scene and one was bleeding. 

Bystanders were able to provide police with a picture of the shooter who was identified as Roykell Holder, 21, as well as his Instagram account.   

Mall surveillance video captured the incident and showed Defendant Pierre started the verbal confrontation with Lacey.  Lacey initially walked away, but then turned around, walked back toward Defendant Pierre and Holder, and flashed a gun.  Both Lacey and Defendant Holder pulled out firearms and started shooting at one another, firing off several rounds inside the crowded mall.  Lacey fell to the floor after being shot, but not before striking Holder in the hand. 

Footage also showed Defendant Pierre driving Defendant Holder and the third man away from the mall after the shooting in a black Toyota Camry. 

The same afternoon, DeKalb County Police and Fire responded to a call about a person shot at an address about eight miles from the mall on Pleasantdale Crossing in Atlanta.  Defendant Holder’s mother had called 911 to report her son had been shot at the mall.  The address provided during the 911 call matched the one listed on the registration for the getaway car.  Responding officers found Defendant Holder with a gunshot wound to the hand and determined he matched the picture of the shooter.  Officers also located Defendant Pierre in the area of the apartment complex and matched him to images from the mall. 

Immediately following his conviction, DeKalb County Superior Court Judge Shondeana Morris, who presided over the trial, sentenced Defendant Pierre to 20 years to serve 6 in confinement with the balance on probation.  As a condition of his release, Defendant Pierre must stay away from all malls in DeKalb County. 

The trials for Defendant Holder and Lacey are still pending. 

The case, assigned to the Trial Division, was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Sean Johnston with assistance from ADA Li Sapp, DA Investigator Trevor Pearson and Victim Advocate Breanna Sawyer.   Dunwoody Police Department Det. R.C. Barrett led the initial investigation.