Macon investigator addresses ‘unsuccessful’ gang probe before July 4 killing

The Bibb County Sheriff’s Office admitted its investigative efforts into multiple incidents at a Macon home were unsuccessful, as investigators were not able to detain or charge suspects before a fatal shooting at the home claimed the life of 24-year-old Contrel Dixon.

Threats and two shootings allegedly occurred at the house before Dixon was killed, and those incidents were reported to law enforcement, but deputies didn’t obtain enough evidence to arrest suspects, according to an email to The Telegraph from Maj. Jason Batchelor, head of the sheriff’s office’s Criminal Investigation Division.

While gun-related incidents happened repeatedly at the home where Dixon was later killed, those charged in the fatal shooting don’t appear to have also been charged in those other incidents, according to court records. The sheriff’s office didn’t respond to request for comment about whether the suspects were connected to previous cases.

Dixon was shot July 4, while in his family’s home on Sparkle Avenue in east Macon, and died from his injuries on Oct. 23, Bibb County Coroner Leon Jones said. He was a twin and the father of a 1-year-old son.

Several incident reports show the first of those targeted attacks against the Dixon family’s home this year allegedly involved males who threatened to shoot the house on March 20. A week later, the house was shot into.

Warning signs appeared again in May before a second shooting occurred. People who knew the family allegedly intimidated Contrel Dixon’s mom, Demetria Veronica Dixon, at a gas station on May 8, and her house was shot at hours later, investigative records say.

The sheriff’s office did not respond to The Telegraph’s previous requests for comment on the situation until Dec. 9. The BCSO’s Public Affairs Office denied The Telegraph’s request for an interview and instead responded with emailed statements from Batchelor.

“Recent reporting has raised questions about prior incidents at the residence leading up to Mr. Dixon’s tragic death,” Batchelor said in the email, referencing The Telegraph’s coverage of the cases. “While we understand how these events may appear when viewed in isolation, we want to provide clarity about the challenges our investigators faced and the steps the Sheriff’s Office took throughout this case.”

The sheriff’s office didn’t respond to follow-up questions for this story.

Fear of gang retaliation

The incidents leading up to the fatal shooting were allegedly connected to gangs that retaliated against each other in the past, which made it hard to get people to talk, according to Batchelor.

People involved in the threats and shootings that targeted Contrel Dixon’s family didn’t cooperate with investigators out of fear of retaliation and intimidation, Batchelor said.

“Our investigation determined that there was an established gang nexus surrounding the individuals involved and a history of retaliatory violence between the two groups,” he told The Telegraph. “These dynamics significantly complicate investigations, particularly when victims or witnesses are unwilling or unable to cooperate.”

Several incident reports show Demetria Dixon reported each attack and threat to the sheriff’s office as they happened. She gave deputies tips regarding the whereabouts of the suspects, most of whom her family knew personally from previous disputes.

Batchelor blamed a lack of cooperation on witnesses and victims, including Contrel Dixon.

“In the weeks and months preceding Mr. Dixon’s murder, our investigators made multiple attempts to obtain cooperation from him regarding earlier shootings and threats,” Batchelor said. “Unfortunately, those efforts were unsuccessful, which limited our ability to pursue certain leads or bring charges earlier.”

Contrel Dixon’s family denied that he was involved in gang activity after the sheriff’s office previously confirmed its gang unit investigators were involved in the arrests of the suspects.

How evidence delayed arrests

Before the fatal shooting on July 4, the sheriff’s office obtained a social media video of boys threatening to shoot Contrel Dixon’s house and surveillance footage of boys intimidating Demetria Dixon at a gas station, the incident reports said.

But many of the recorded suspects were masked, so there wasn’t probable cause or “evidentiary value” to arrest anyone at the time, Batchelor said. No one was injured or killed in the other shootings, according to incident reports and Batchelor.

“Since Mr. Dixon’s murder, all individuals believed to be responsible for his death have been identified and charged,” Batchelor said. “Furthermore, the individuals believed to have been involved in the earlier aggravated assaults have been charged with firearm- and drug-related offenses as a result of the broader investigation.”

Dontavis Anquan Jackson, 19, and Michael Winston Burney Jr., 25, were charged with felony murder in connection to Contrel Dixon’s death, the sheriff’s office said in an October news release. Jackson and Burney, who were being charged as co-defendants, are expected to have an indictment hearing for the murder charges in 2026, according to Summer Johnson, an investigative administrator of the Macon Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office.

It was unclear how many others face charges in connection to the previous incidents.

The cases were still under investigation Monday – around nine months after the first violent incident was reported at the Sparkle Avenue home, according to the BCSO’s Public Affairs Office.