A Georgia man, who was reportedly under the influence of alcohol, was sentenced to life imprisonment on Friday after a DeKalb County jury found him guilty of multiple charges. The charges stemmed from an incident where he shot and killed a friend who allegedly owed him money. The incident occurred when the man, identified as Shiva Vereen, 52, went to pick up his sister from a bar and ended up confronting his friend, Andrew Carpenter.
According to court documents, Vereen was convicted of malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony. The incident took place outside the DaBomb Sports Grill on Evans Mill Road on February 13, 2023. Responding officers found Carpenter lying in the parking lot with multiple gunshot wounds to his head and chest.
The confrontation between Vereen and Carpenter reportedly began over a debt of $1,600 that Carpenter allegedly owed Vereen. The two men had a lengthy discussion inside Carpenter’s vehicle before things escalated. Vereen, who was in the front passenger seat, retrieved a firearm from his Lincoln SUV and opened fire on Carpenter.
The entire incident was captured on surveillance video, which was later presented at the trial. According to Vereen’s arrest affidavit, he shot Carpenter multiple times at close range before fleeing the scene in a black sedan.
Carpenter’s girlfriend, who was with him at the bar that night, identified Vereen in a photo lineup presented by the police. An ex-girlfriend of Vereen was also interviewed by the police. According to the affidavit, Vereen was intoxicated but otherwise normal on the night of the incident.
Vereen reportedly called a woman around 3:24 a.m., stating that he had shot and killed someone and was planning to flee. A review of Vereen and Carpenter’s cellphone records revealed text correspondence about the alleged loan.
Vereen was arrested three weeks later in Texas for driving with a fake dealership tag on his car. During his trial, he claimed that Carpenter had threatened him and his family with a gun, and that he acted in self-defense. He also claimed to have blacked out during the incident. His attorneys argued that Vereen suffered from post-traumatic stress syndrome related to his time as a career combat soldier with the U.S. Army.