Teen Guilty in Fatal Austell Shooting

A Cobb County jury Friday convicted a 19-year-old Atlanta man in the April 2012 killing of a man who tried to intervene in a fight between the teen and his girlfriend at the Mableton Reserve Apartments.

Darius Dionne Oliver, who was found guilty of voluntary manslaughter, aggravated assault, possession of a firearm and criminal trespass, could get up to 26 years in prison, said Kim Isaza, the spokeswoman for Cobb County District Attorney Vic Reynolds.

On April 30, 2012, Oliver kicked in the door of his girlfriend’s apartment and chased her while yelling at her when Ricardo Reese tried to intervene. Oliver turned and shot Reese twice in the chest. Reese, 41, of Atlanta, was unarmed.

Witnesses told the police about a man seen fleeing on foot from the scene, which is located on Sweetwater Circle in Austell. Within minutes of the shooting, the Cobb Police K-9 Unit was able to apprehend the suspect west of the Mableton Reserve. Oliver has been jailed without bond since his arrest the day of the killing.

At his trial, which started Monday with jury selection, Oliver testified he was acting in self-defense. That didn't fly with chief assistant district attorney Don Geary. 

“You can’t use self-defense when you’re the aggressor,” Geary told jurors.

Cobb Superior Court Chief Judge Adele Grubbs set sentencing for 10 a.m. May 2.

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