ATLANTA, Ga. – A DeKalb County man has been convicted of fatally shooting his girlfriend and injuring an officer who responded to the scene, according to District Attorney Sherry Boston. The incident occurred on August 1, 2019, in the 4800 block of Hodgdon Corners Cove in Lithonia, DeKalb County.

The investigation revealed that the DeKalb County police officer had received reports of a person being shot in the early hours of the morning on that day. Prior to that, several hang-up calls had been made to 911, with the last call coming from the victim, Aleka Simmons. During the call, Simmons expressed concern for her safety and questioned if her boyfriend, Otis Dennis Walker, would harm her.

When the police arrived at the scene, they found no evidence of a disturbance and left. However, a family member who witnessed tension between Simmons and Walker offered to take her home. Walker, fearing that Simmons would talk to the police, locked her in a bedroom. Shortly after, a gunshot was heard, and Simmons was found injured. The family member, along with two children present, quickly left the house and called the police again.

Upon returning to the scene, one of the responding officers was shot four times by Walker. In total, Walker fired 19 rounds before fleeing into the woods. The victim, Simmons, was discovered in an upstairs bedroom with a gunshot wound to the chest and succumbed to her injuries. The injured officer was rushed to the hospital and has since recovered.

It was revealed that Walker had previously been arrested for battery, with Simmons being the victim in that case as well. Walker was apprehended on August 8 following an extensive manhunt. Law enforcement officials discovered a signed apology addressed to Officer Nunn and the DeKalb County police during his arrest.

During the trial, Walker argued that he shot Simmons in self-defense and intended to shoot at the ground near the responding officers to provoke them into shooting him. However, the district attorney’s office successfully convicted Walker on charges of malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault, aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony.

Walker’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for Wednesday, October 25, at 9 a.m. If you or someone you know is a victim of domestic violence, please contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233 for assistance.

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