Victim dies months after being shot on the Fourth of July in Macon, coroner says

A 24-year-old died in hospice Thursday after being shot on Fourth of July in Macon, according to the Bibb County Coroner’s Office.

Contrel Dixon was shot in the abdomen while inside of a home around 11 p.m. on the 1100 block of Sparkle Avenue in east Macon, Coroner Leon Jones and court records said.

Dixon was pronounced dead before 12:30 a.m. Thursday at a local hospice center, Jones said. Family members were notified of Dixon’s death.

Suspects charged. What happened?

The shooting was allegedly related to gang violence, but it was unclear why deputies thought so, according to a news release from the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office shortly after the shooting.

Two people were initially each charged with six counts of aggravated assault in connection to the shooting, including Dontavis Anquan Jackson, a 19-year-old Macon man who allegedly shot Dixon, and Michael Winston Burney Jr. of Gray, who was also allegedly connected to the incident, court records showed. Jackson was also charged with one count of aggravated battery. It wasn’t immediately clear if their charges had been changed following the victim’s death.

A grand jury accused Jackson and Burney of “shooting (a) residence” with six people inside including Dixon, according to an indictment in September in Bibb County Superior Court.

Burney was released from jail earlier this month after his bond was set at $25,000, according to court records. He was being electronically monitored while on house arrest.

Jackson was still incarcerated without bond, according to a log of detainees.

The sheriff’s office did not immediately respond to The Telegraph’s request for further details.

Deputies and the coroner’s office initially spelled Contrel Dixon’s name incorrectly, according to his mother, Demetria Dixon.

This story was originally published October 23, 2025 at 10:01 AM.