Lauren Kristara Sawyer-Allen, 31, was shot and killed inside her car on the evening of Monday, November 21, 2022, in Redan, Georgia. She had been working as a Lyft driver and had just dropped off a passenger on Cedar Croft Court when a dispute between that passenger and another man escalated. The man, identified as 23-year-old Lerelle Chatman of Lithonia, opened fire on Lauren’s vehicle; she was struck and died at the scene. The passenger was not harmed.

Police located Chatman less than a mile away at a gas station on Covington Highway. When officers confronted him he fired a rifle at them and an exchange of gunfire followed; Chatman was shot and killed by police. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation was called in to investigate the officer-involved shooting.

Lauren was a single mother of three and the daughter of Peachtree Corners Councilman Joe Sawyer. Her parents, Joe and Kimberly Sawyer, are raising her children, and the community held a vigil and a balloon release while a GoFundMe was set up to assist with funeral costs. If anyone witnessed the shooting or has information about the events that night, please share what was seen.