In the fluorescent glow of a familiar Elberton McDonald’s on December 9, 2025, 17 year old Dontavius Marable’s promising life shattered amid a sudden verbal clash that erupted into gunfire around 10:19 p.m. at the restaurant on 300 Elbert Street, where he worked late shifts as a dedicated employee.
Elberton Police arrived to find him collapsed on the lobby floor with multiple gunshot wounds to the torso, administering first aid before EMS rushed him to Elbert Memorial Hospital, where he succumbed shortly after despite valiant medical interventions.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation, assisting local authorities, confirmed the altercation involved Marable and 15 year old acquaintance Justin Cleveland, escalating over a mutual interest in a young woman they both knew, with Cleveland allegedly drawing a handgun and firing the fatal shots.
Cleveland surrendered voluntarily the next afternoon, booked into Wilkes Regional Youth Detention Center in Washington, Georgia, and charged as an adult with malice murder and felony murder, his body now pending autopsy at the GBI Medical Examiner’s Office to verify the precise cause of death.
As a lifelong Elberton resident, Dontavius navigated high school corridors with the quiet focus of a young man balancing academics and entry level work, his role at McDonald’s reflecting early steps toward financial independence in the close knit northeast Georgia community. Details of his formal education remain private, but peers recall his punctual shifts and team player spirit, traits honed in a town where granite quarries and family ties shape daily resilience.
Dontavius’s family life anchored him amid teenage transitions, supported by parents and siblings in a household that emphasized community involvement and mutual encouragement during weekend gatherings and school events. Though unmarried and childless at 17, he cherished bonds with extended relatives, contributing his earnings to shared meals that strengthened familial ties in their modest Elberton home.
His lifestyle blended the demands of part time employment with youthful explorations, from after school sports practices that built camaraderie to casual hangouts with friends exploring local trails near Richard B. Russell State Park. Hobbies leaned toward simple outlets like video gaming sessions or pickup basketball, pursuits that offered brief escapes and fostered connections in a rhythm of school, work, and rest.
Elberton’s mourning deepens without announced funeral details as of December 11, 2025, though the McDonald’s franchise pledges ongoing support to his grieving crew and kin, while the GBI urges tips at 1 800 597 8477 to aid closure in this senseless loss.