CHEROKEE COUNTY, Ga. — A Cherokee County man will spend decades behind bars after a jury found he unlawfully shot and killed another man during a confrontation that prosecutors said stemmed from a growing dispute over a woman.
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David Henry Daniel, 45, of Canton, was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after a Cherokee County jury found him guilty of felony murder, aggravated assault and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime in the February 2025 shooting death of Michael Kyle Reid, 44.
The five-day trial ended Aug. 21, when jurors returned guilty verdicts on the charges. Daniel was acquitted of malice murder.
According to the Office of the District Attorney for the Blue Ridge Judicial Circuit, the shooting happened around 10:21 p.m. on Feb. 18, 2025, outside Daniel’s girlfriend’s home on North Lake Drive in Canton. Deputies responding to a 911 call found Reid lying in the carport with a fatal gunshot wound to the chest.
Investigators recovered the .22-caliber pistol used in the shooting from the hood of a vehicle in the driveway. No one witnessed the shooting, though Daniel’s girlfriend told investigators she heard a gunshot and ran outside moments later.
Authorities said Reid had a pocketknife and a small sheath knife in his possession, but evidence showed he did not have the opportunity to access either before he was shot.
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Prosecutors said Daniel and Reid first came into conflict several days earlier after Reid began communicating with Daniel’s on-again, off-again girlfriend. Social media posts and text messages introduced at trial showed tensions between the two men escalating in the days leading up to the shooting.
On the night of the shooting, prosecutors said Daniel ran out of the home after Reid arrived and shot him within seconds.
“The defendant gave investigators contradictory accounts to explain the shooting – first claiming it was accidental, then claiming that he acted in self-defense and that the victim had a bat, a wrench, or even a flashlight,” Assistant District Attorney Elizabeth Mackey said. “The jury reviewed all the evidence and determined the truth. This shooting was unjustified, and this defendant is guilty of felony murder.”
During the trial, prosecutors called 11 witnesses and presented nearly 150 exhibits, including the 911 call, body camera footage, crime scene photographs, Daniel’s recorded interview with investigators and social media records. Jurors deliberated for more than nine hours before reaching a verdict.
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“The jury’s verdict sends a clear message: this defendant did not act in self-defense, but instead used unlawful deadly force,” District Attorney Susan K. Treadaway said. “A man lost his life, and his family has been left to live with that devastating loss.”
At Daniel’s sentencing hearing, Reid’s sister described the lasting impact of her brother’s death, telling the court that the family continues to grieve the loss of a man she remembered for his loyalty, humor and kind heart.
A judge sentenced Daniel to life in prison with the possibility of parole, plus an additional five years on probation. He will be eligible for parole after serving 30 years in prison.
The judge also ordered Daniel to have no contact with Reid’s family, forfeit all firearms and stay out of Cherokee County.
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