Dublin teen found guilty in 2025 fatal shooting

A Laurens County jury found an 18-year-old Dublin man guilty of murder charges last week in the 2025 shooting death of a 27-year-old man. 

Dontavis Lovett was found guilty of one count of malice murder and two counts of felony murder in the death Anthony Jamar Coley on April 29, 2025 on 511 Rutland Drive. He was also found guilty on one county of burglary in the second degree, one count of aggravated assault and two counts of possession of firearm during commission of a felony.  

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“I want to thank all the law enforcement officers and District Attorney Harold McLendon and his team for successfully prosecuting this case,” said Dublin Police Chief Keith Moon. “This case shows the great lengths law enforcement will go to in order to bring suspects to justice. Violence like this has no place in our community. We must come together, support one another, and ensure that those responsible are brought to justice. I hope that the jury’s verdict brings some closure to family of Anthony Coley.” 

On the day of the shooting, officers responded to the area after receiving an alert from the city’s gunshot detection system around 2 a.m. Upon arrival, officers saw a man, later identified as Coley, in the backyard with gunshot wounds.

They saw Coley lying in the driver’s side of a car. An officer retrieved a medical kit from his patrol car and began observing the wounds and caring for Coley until the Dublin Fire Department and EMS arrived on the scene.

Coley was transported to Fairview Park Hospital where he was pronounced dead by Laurens County Coroner Richard Stanley.

Sentencing is set for 9 a.m. July 15.