Police said officers forced their way into a southwest Atlanta apartment late Saturday and found the injured child inside.
ATLANTA, Ga. — A 34-year-old Atlanta man has been charged with murder after police said his 4-year-old daughter was fatally stabbed during a domestic dispute late Saturday at an apartment in the city’s southwest section.
Authorities said the child, identified as Zuri Dixon, was found badly hurt after officers answered a call about a fight in progress around 11:30 p.m. on March 14 in the 1900 block of Alison Court SW. Investigators later obtained arrest warrants for Rashad Dixon, who family members told local media is the girl’s father. The case has drawn sharp attention because it began as a domestic disturbance call and ended with the death of a young child.
Police said officers were sent to the apartment after a report of a person injured during a domestic dispute. Lt. Christopher Butler said officers first spoke with a woman outside who told them the dispute was happening inside the locked apartment. Because they could not get through the door, officers entered through a window, police said. Once inside, Butler said, they found a man holding the child. Officers used de-escalation tactics to get the girl away from him, according to police. She appeared to have severe injuries and multiple lacerations. Medics took her to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta at Hughes Spalding, where she later died. Police said the man at the scene also appeared to have lacerations and was taken into custody before being transported to a hospital for treatment.
On Sunday, the Atlanta Police Department’s homicide unit said investigators had developed probable cause and secured warrants for Dixon. He was booked on charges that include murder, aggravated assault, aggravated battery, first-degree cruelty to children, possession of a knife during the commission of a felony, false imprisonment, two counts of criminal damage to property and simple assault. Police have not publicly laid out a full account of what happened inside the apartment before officers arrived, and investigators have said they are still working to determine the full circumstances of the dispute. Officials also have not publicly described the sequence of injuries or said whether any other children were present inside when the violence unfolded.
Neighbors said the emergency response shattered what at first sounded like an argument between adults. Jevouhn Hamilton told local television reporters that he heard a man and woman arguing before the scene escalated. He said it sounded at first like a domestic dispute that might end behind closed doors, then changed when glass shattered and a child screamed. Another neighbor, who was not identified publicly, told reporters she knew the child’s mother from an earlier stay at a shelter and said she was heartbroken by the killing. Those remarks have added to a broader concern about domestic violence cases that turn deadly, especially when children are caught in the middle. Police, however, have not publicly confirmed the full history between the adults or whether officers had responded to earlier incidents involving the family.
The legal case now moves from the initial arrest stage into prosecution and further fact-finding. The warrants announced by police allow investigators to hold Dixon while the case is presented through the court system. Jail, charging and court records are expected to provide the next public details, including any first appearance, bond status and future hearing dates. Investigators also are expected to continue collecting witness statements, medical evidence and any physical evidence from the apartment. The Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office or other officials may later release a formal ruling on cause and manner of death if those records become public. Prosecutors could add, revise or narrow charges as the case develops, depending on what the investigation shows.
By Monday, police had publicly identified the child as Zuri Dixon, turning a grim case file into a loss that neighbors said they could not stop thinking about. The apartment complex on Alison Court became the focus of police tape, broken glass and questions that had not yet been answered. The suspect’s mother told FOX 5 she was shocked by the accusation against her son and did not think she could forgive him. That reaction captured the wider emotional fallout around the case: grief for the child, shock among relatives and neighbors, and growing attention on how a late-night domestic call ended with homicide charges against a parent.
As of Tuesday, March 17, Dixon remained in custody and the homicide investigation was still active. The next major public step is expected to come through court proceedings and any additional updates from Atlanta police or prosecutors.
Author note: Last updated March 17, 2026.