The heartbreak in Augusta settled in quietly Friday morning, when 10-year-old De’Angelo Roberson was pronounced dead after days of fighting for his life. What began as a chaotic afternoon outside a neighborhood convenience store has now turned into a case that’s shaking the community to its core.
De’Angelo had been in critical condition since Tuesday, when a gun went off inside a parked car along the 1200 block of Gordon Highway. By late Friday morning, at Wellstar MCG Health, doctors confirmed what no one wanted to hear. The young boy was gone.
Investigators say the moment unfolded in seconds, but the consequences will last far longer. Authorities believe the gun was fired by De’Angelo’s 4-year-old sister while the children were left alone inside the vehicle. A 9-year-old sibling was also present but was not physically harmed.
Police say their mother, 27-year-old Deasia Lexis Williams, had stepped inside the Super Express store around 2:16 p.m., leaving all three children unattended. According to officials, a firearm was left inside her purse, within reach of the kids. At some point, the youngest child got hold of it. The weapon discharged, and the bullet struck De’Angelo in the head.
What should have been an ordinary afternoon quickly turned into a desperate emergency. First responders rushed the boy to the hospital, where he remained in critical care for days. Family members held on to hope, but the outcome was devastating.
Williams was taken into custody right there at the scene. At first, she faced three counts of cruelty to children. After De’Angelo’s death, those charges escalated. She is now charged with second-degree murder and is being held without bond at the Charles B. Webster Detention Center.
Authorities say this tragedy has reopened serious conversations about gun safety and the risks of leaving children unsupervised. Investigators also pointed to a past incident involving Williams in 2021, where she was shot in the leg during a struggle over a firearm at a motel while a child was present. That earlier case ended with a dismissed charge, but it now adds context to a situation that has turned deadly.
As the investigation continues, the Georgia Department of Family and Children Services has stepped in to assist. Meanwhile, a family is left grieving, and a community is left asking how something so preventable ended in such a painful loss.
