My beautiful lovely big brother I love and miss you so much. I will never stop fighting for you! I’m so sorry I wish I could have protected you. God himself has to carry me through the days. God himself will seek vengeance on your behalf. I have tried to call atlanta homicide and seek information I have physically went to the homicide office by myself I went to the apartments where you were murdered by myself and it hurt so bad. I will fight for you even if it’s by myself. You raised me and taught me everything. You are my everything! I love you. from your little sister Shannon Dickerson.
Shannon, I’m so sorry. Your love for your brother is so clear, and I can’t imagine how heavy it’s been to keep pushing for answers on your own. If it helps at all, one thing that sometimes makes it easier to get clear information from Atlanta Police is having the case number in front of you when you call or visit, and if you don’t have it you can request the incident report through APD Open Records to at least confirm the basics and get whatever they’re allowed to release. When you reach homicide, you can ask directly for the assigned investigator or a supervisor and request a simple status update, even if it’s only whether the case is considered active and whether there’s a best way to submit new information. If anyone has tips, Crime Stoppers Atlanta is also an option for sharing information confidentially. I’m holding space for you and your family, Shannon—he matters, and you’re not wrong for continuing to fight for him.
Deondre Dickerson, a 20-year-old Black man, was found in the early hours of August 4, 2016, lying in the 100 block of Cityline Avenue in northeast Atlanta, shot from behind just across from the 251 North apartment complex. Officers arrived at about 1:05 a.m.; paramedics transported him to Grady Memorial Hospital but he was pronounced dead roughly twenty minutes after police found him, turning the late-night shooting into an active homicide investigation before dawn.
Detectives looked into nearby activity on the same block and learned a resident renting his unit through Airbnb, Wesley Nicholas, said a recent guest using the name Eric Johnson had stayed for a week and left the apartment trashed and ransacked. Police publicly said they wanted to speak with Mr. Eric Johnson as part of the murder inquiry; at that time coverage described him as someone investigators sought to question rather than as an arrested or charged suspect. Airbnb removed the renter from its platform and was reported to be cooperating with police.
Funeral notices indicate services for Dickerson were held the following week in the metro area. Does anyone who lived on Cityline Avenue or stayed at the 251 North complex in early August 2016 remember seeing a guest named Eric Johnson or anything suspicious that night?
