ATHENS, Ga. — Kyron Smith was just 3 years old. He was sitting on a couch, watching TV, safe inside his home. Then bullets ripped through the quiet of Hallmark Mobile Home Park, and Kyron never got up again.
The drive-by shooting happened on March 8, 2024, along Spring Valley Road. Gunfire erupted outside the family’s mobile home as part of a violent gang feud. Inside, Kyron and his older brother were hit. Kyron did not survive. His brother lived, but the damage to the family ran deep.
An 11Alive investigation later revealed the shooting was tied to an ongoing gang war that had been simmering across parts of Athens-Clarke County. Police said the intended target was Kyron’s older brother. Instead, a toddler became the face of a tragedy that stunned the city.
Nearly two years later, the case has brought a measure of justice. Three of the four suspects charged in Kyron’s killing have now been convicted. Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr called the crime horrifying, pointing to the sheer innocence of a child killed while watching television in his own living room.
On January 8, 2026, two Athens men, Dakious Echols, 20, known as “Third,” and Jayden Brown, 18, known as “Gloxky,” pleaded guilty. Both admitted to malice murder and a long list of gang and firearm-related charges. Each was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole, plus additional prison time and decades of strict probation.
A third defendant, Desmontrez Mathis, 24, known as “Ten,” went to trial. On February 4, 2026, a jury found him guilty after weeks of testimony and hours of deliberation. He was convicted on multiple counts, including malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault, and gang activity. His sentencing is scheduled for Friday afternoon.
For Kyron’s mother, Shanita Smith, the verdicts brought tears and complicated relief. She said the guilty findings felt like answered prayers after years of waiting. Still, the pain has not faded. She spoke openly about her surviving children, including a 9-year-old who sometimes wishes he had taken his brother’s place. Her oldest son, she said, carries the weight of knowing he was the target that night.
Smith has since moved her family away from Athens, hoping distance might help them heal. She believes real change will only come when gang violence and peer pressure among young people are confronted head-on. State officials say progress is happening. Authorities report a major drop in shootings in recent years, crediting close work between prosecutors and local, state, and federal law enforcement.
One defendant, Julian Cubillos, still awaits his fate. His case remains active. For Kyron Smith’s family, the courtroom battles cannot bring their child back. But they hope his name, and his story, will force a reckoning in a city that never wants to lose another child this way.
