Authorities say the suspect was arrested after a chase that ended more than 120 miles away.
PALMETTO, Ga. — A 34-year-old mother delivering a DoorDash order was shot and killed outside Palmetto Elementary School on Feb. 10, prompting a hard lockdown as students sheltered inside and police searched for a suspect later arrested after a high-speed chase in Middle Georgia.
Investigators have described the shooting as a domestic-related incident that spilled onto school property, even as key details remain unclear, including the exact motive and the suspect’s direct ties to the school. The victim, identified by the Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office as Eboni Anderson, died near the front entrance of the building as staff used an emergency alert system to lock down classrooms and move hundreds of children to another campus. DoorDash said it is investigating and is working with law enforcement as agencies in multiple counties coordinate the next steps, including murder charges expected in Fulton County.
Officers responded to reports of gunfire late Tuesday morning, and the school went into a hard lockdown shortly after 11 a.m. Police found Anderson’s body near the front of Palmetto Elementary, a campus on Carlton Road that serves students in prekindergarten through fifth grade. A school staff member heard shots and pressed an emergency alert button that triggered the lockdown and notified authorities, according to reporting by local television outlets that interviewed school officials. No students or staff members were hurt. School leaders and officers then arranged for students to be relocated to Bear Creek Middle School, where families picked them up as the investigation continued outside the elementary building.
Authorities later identified a suspect as Christopher Loris Ates, 39. Officials said Ates was taken into custody in Houston County after law enforcement agencies tracked him in Middle Georgia. Investigators have said he was booked at the Houston County Jail on charges that included reckless driving, fleeing or attempting to elude a police officer, and second-degree cruelty to children. Local reports also said authorities were finalizing additional warrants and murder charges connected to Anderson’s death in Fulton County. Court records and formal charging documents were not immediately available in the hours after his arrest, and officials have not publicly detailed the evidence they say links Ates to the shooting beyond identifying him as the suspect.
Details released by authorities show that the search moved quickly beyond the school’s neighborhood. Investigators said a license plate reader, described by officials as a Flock camera system, picked up a vehicle associated with a homicide earlier in the day near the intersection of Russell Parkway and Georgia Highway 41. Warner Robins police attempted to stop the vehicle, officials said, but the driver sped away. Deputies said the pursuit crossed into Twiggs County, where the vehicle hit a semi-truck, struck a bridge guardrail and went down an embankment. Investigators said Ates ran into a wooded area before being caught. Officials also said a child was found crying inside the vehicle and was evaluated by medics before being turned over to a juvenile division.
While authorities have not released a detailed motive, officials and local reporting have repeatedly framed the episode as a domestic dispute. Palmetto Elementary Principal Jacqueline Bowens told families in a message that the incident appeared to be a domestic dispute that spilled onto school grounds, adding that no one inside the building was in danger. A district spokesperson, Brian Noyes, told reporters at the scene that the shooting occurred just outside the front door, within roughly 10 to 20 yards of the entrance. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution also reported that state corrections records show Ates spent nearly a decade in prison stemming from a 2006 Houston County case involving armed robbery and a firearm charge, and that he was released in 2016. Officials have not said how, or whether, that history relates to Tuesday’s violence.
For families, the day unfolded through hurried messages, long lines, and relief when children were reunited with relatives. One fourth grader, Jordan Taylor, was quoted by Atlanta News First saying, “I thought we wouldn’t make it, but we did,” after he met back up with his family. His aunt, Nyonna Taylor, said she feared the worst as she waited for information, describing students crying in classrooms as the lockdown continued. Another grandparent, Margaret Smith, told WSB-TV she did not believe a shooter was inside the school but still felt uncertain as alerts came in. Counselors and additional support staff were made available when students returned to class the next day, according to school officials.
Anderson’s death has also sharpened attention on the risks faced by app-based delivery workers whose jobs can bring them to unfamiliar places at unpredictable hours. DoorDash said in a statement that it considered the killing a tragic situation and that its team was urgently investigating while supporting law enforcement. Fulton County Schools confirmed that Anderson was a parent of students at a school in the district, though those students did not attend Palmetto Elementary. Friends and family members interviewed by local stations described her as devoted to her children, and Atlanta News First said she was the mother of two 8-year-old twins and an 18-month-old. Her stepfather, Tariq Robinson, said through tears in an interview that she loved her boys and worked hard for them.
Investigators said Ates was being held in Middle Georgia as agencies worked to transfer him to face charges in Fulton County. Officials have not announced an arraignment date or a first court appearance, and they have not said whether more arrests are expected. Police have also not clarified whether Anderson was targeted at the school or whether the location was incidental to a delivery. The school reopened Wednesday, with extra police presence, while the homicide investigation and expected charging decisions continued.
Author note: Last updated February 12, 2026.