Inset: Shiva Vereen (DeKalb County District Attorney’s Office). Background: Shiva Vereen shot his friend Andrew Carpenter due to a $1,600 debt at the DaBomb Sports Grill in DeKalb County, Georgia (WAGA).
A Georgia man, who was reportedly drunk, went to a bar to pick up his sister and became “frustrated” when she wouldn’t leave. Upon entering, he encountered a friend who owed him money, leading to a confrontation after a 40-minute discussion inside the friend’s car, eventually resulting in the friend being shot, as per prosecutors.
Shiva Vereen, 52, was sentenced to life in prison after a DeKalb County jury found him guilty on the same day, according to court records reviewed by Law&Crime on Tuesday. He was convicted of malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault, and firearm possession during a felony for the February 13, 2023 shooting of Andrew Carpenter outside DaBomb Sports Grill on Evans Mill Road.
Police arrived to find Carpenter “lying on the ground in the parking lot” with several gunshot wounds to his head and chest. Vereen had taken him outside to discuss the alleged $1,600 debt, and their conversation turned violent. They spoke for about 40 minutes inside Carpenter’s car before exiting. Vereen retrieved a “black handgun” from his Lincoln SUV, then opened fire, according to police.
The shooting was captured on surveillance video obtained by Atlanta Fox affiliate WAGA and shown at trial.
“[Vereen] proceeds to confront the victim with a black handgun, firing multiple shots at close range,” stated his arrest affidavit. “Shiva then returns to the black sedan and fled the scene.”
Carpenter was at DaBomb Sports Grill with his girlfriend when he was shot. She spoke with police and identified Vereen from a photo lineup. Additionally, an ex-girlfriend of Vereen’s was also interviewed by authorities.
“He was talking to her before the shooting around 12:48 a.m.,” the affidavit said.
“He was intoxicated but otherwise normal,” cops recounted. “He said he was driving to the bar to pick up his sister. Shiva was frustrated because he was texting his sister and she was not coming out so he would have to go in to get her.”
At around 3:24 a.m., the woman got a call from Vereen stating he “just got shot and killed someone, and he was going on the run,” according to the affidavit. A review of Vereen and Carpenter’s cellphone records showed text correspondence between the two of them about the $1,600 Vereen allegedly loaned to Carpenter.
“That person is all on camera, his face and everything,” said restaurant owner Gary DeCosta in an interview with WAGA the day after the shooting.
“He stood over that guy after he shot him and kept on shooting,” DeCosta told the outlet, describing the incident as “coldhearted.”
Vereen was arrested three weeks later in Texas after being pulled over for driving with a fake dealership tag on his car. He claimed during his trial that Carpenter allegedly pulled a gun on him and threatened his family while they were chatting, and that he acted in self-defense. He also claimed he blacked out, with his attorneys claiming Vereen suffered from post-traumatic stress syndrome related to his time as a “career combat soldier” with the U.S. Army, according to a motion for bond.
“[Vereen] produced evidence that this current case is defendant’s first ever criminal arrest,” the motion said. “He resides in Georgia and has substantial ties to the community. In support, defendant’s cousin, Anthony Vereen, testified that defendant was a career combat soldier with the United States Army.”
