GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — A metro man who has been accused of shooting and killing his girlfriend in a Gwinnett County home has a history of making threats and being violent, according to court records.
Gwinnett County police responded to Prospect Church Road in Lawrenceville around 4:30 a.m. to find 29-year-old Shakiyla Sample shot dead inside a home.
Ray Charles Evans, 31, was arrested by police and SWAT teams a short time later.
Police say that Sample and Evans, who had been dating for just a few weeks, went to the Prospect Church Road home on Sunday evening and within just a few hours, Sample was dead.
At least one other person was in the home at the time of the shooting.
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Court records uncovered by Channel 2 Gwinnett County Bureau Chief Tony Thomas show that just months ago, Evans made similar threats against another woman.
Evans’ former landlord, who did not want to be identified, told Channel 2 Action News that she took out a protective order against Evans last year after he threatened to kill her.
Court documents show that Evans spent several days in jail for terroristic threats after threatening to shoot his former landlord. She told Thomas that he became increasingly violent and she had to get the help of several officers to get him out of her home.
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Sample’s family takes some solace in knowing that Evans is back behind bars, but their question of why still remains.
“She was the kindest, sweetest person you will ever know. No one is perfect, but she always made you smile and always cared,” her brother Cleo Sample told Thomas.
Cleo Sample said he always had concerns about his sister’s new boyfriend.
“I told her, ‘Don’t let that kindness fool you, he’s a snake,’ but they’ve got to learn the hard way. Maybe I should have told her to stay away, maybe I could have done more,” he said.
It took a SWAT team in Forsyth County just a few hours to locate and capture Evans.
“I feel better, but you know justice is served. But still, why my sister?” he said.
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Channel 2 Action News reached out to the attorney representing Evans on his terroristic threats charge, but did not hear back. It does not appear that case has been resolved.
This is the third homicide that Gwinnett police have been called to investigate since Sunday morning.
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