DeKalb Police Seek Public’s Help After Innocent Bystander Killed in Gas Station Shootout

The DeKalb County Police Department is asking for the public’s assistance as investigators work to identify those involved in a deadly shooting at an Exxon gas station on October 26, 2025.

Officers were called to the station at 3000 Moreland Avenue around 2:27 a.m. after reports of a person shot. When they arrived, they found 21-year-old Kinaya Hightower suffering from a gunshot wound. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

Detectives say a large late-night car meet-up, with dozens of people gathered in the parking lot, had taken place just before the shooting. At some point, an exchange of gunfire erupted between two separate groups. Hightower, who was out celebrating her birthday with friends, was caught in the crossfire. Police say she had no involvement in the dispute.

The individuals responsible fled before officers arrived. Investigators have since obtained photos of persons of interest and are releasing them to the public in hopes of identifying those connected to the gunfire.

Police are urging anyone who was present, recorded video, witnessed the shooting, or recognizes anyone in the released images to come forward. Even minor details, investigators say, could help bring answers to Hightower’s family.

Tips can be submitted anonymously through DKPD’s TIP411 system by texting “DKPD” to 847411.