DeKalb County, Georgia — A Georgia man is behind bars accused of firing nearly a dozen shots through his pregnant ex-girlfriend’s bedroom window, killing her and their unborn son just two weeks before her due date — all while her two young children slept beside her.
Devin Lamar Anthony, 26, faces charges of malice murder, feticide, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and felon in possession of a firearm in connection with the death of 23-year-old Shakiya Pridgen.
DeKalb County Police responded around 5:15 a.m. on June 16 to a report of a shooting in the 3300 block of Peppertree Circle. Officers found Pridgen suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. She was rushed to the hospital, where both she and her unborn baby boy died.
According to a probable cause arrest affidavit, Anthony walked directly to the bedroom window, knowing Pridgen and her children were sleeping inside, and fired 11 shots. Pridgen’s children, ages 1 and 3, were in the bed beside her but were not physically harmed.
Investigators used traffic camera footage to place Anthony’s vehicle at the scene. The affidavit states the couple had recently ended their relationship following allegations of infidelity and a dispute over the name Pridgen had chosen for their baby — a boy she had planned to call Kyren. Pridgen had celebrated a baby shower just days before the shooting.
Court records revealed Anthony had previously pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter in a separate homicide in nearby Fulton County, but had the conviction cleared after completing probation under Georgia’s First Offender Act. Pridgen’s family expressed outrage over what they called excessive leniency toward Anthony.
“If you wanted to kill your own child, you’ll kill anybody,” her father said.
Her mother, Verdina Scott, addressed the public directly: “Somebody took a blessing from all of us. We will get justice for Shakiya and Kyren.”
Anthony remains held in DeKalb County Jail without bond. A GoFundMe has been established to support Pridgen’s two surviving children.
