The case centers on a fatal shooting behind a Memorial Drive auto business.
DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — A 44-year-old man has been arrested on murder and weapons charges after a 35-year-old man was found shot to death behind a Memorial Drive Goodyear store.
DeKalb County police identified the suspect as Marlowe Hawkins and the victim as Juan Gabriel Sanchez. Officers responded to the 3500 block of Memorial Drive just before 8:30 a.m. Tuesday after reports of shots fired behind the business.
Police said emergency crews found Sanchez dead when they arrived. Hawkins was arrested the same day. Authorities said his charges include murder, possession of a machine gun and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
Investigators have not released the suspected motive, the sequence of shots or any details about what evidence led them to Hawkins. Police said detectives are still evaluating evidence from the area behind the store.
The shooting also drew grief from Sanchez’s family. His mother, Janet Dueñas, said her grandchildren are too young to understand that their father is gone. “There aren’t words to explain what we are going through,” Dueñas said.
The next steps will shift to prosecutors and the courts as the murder and weapons case moves forward. Police have not announced additional arrests or said whether more charges could be filed.
As of Wednesday, Hawkins had been arrested and the investigation remained active, with detectives still working to determine why Sanchez was killed.
Author note: Last updated July 8, 2026.