Gwinnett Daily Post

DULUTH -- Gwinnett County police officers responded to a report of a person shot in Duluth on Tuesday morning.

Around 4:40 a.m., the officers responded to a call at the Extended Stay Deluxe at 3390 Venture Parkway to find Kia Yvette Jeffries, 37, outside of the building where she lived with injuries to her head and face.

Officers found Jeffries' husband Earnest Mahir Abdul-Mateen, 46, lying in the hallway suffering from a gunshot. He was able to tell police that his wife shot him. Jeffries also admitted this fact to police.

"Jeffries told officers she had shot her husband in self-defense," Gwinnett County police spokesman Cpl. Jake Smith said.

Both were transported to Gwinnett Medical Center -- Lawrenceville for their injuries, where Abdul-Mateen later died.

"Detectives from the Homicide Unit have been assigned the case," Smith said. "They determined that Abdul-Mateen used a handgun to hit Jeffries repeatedly, until he was exhausted. At that point, Jeffries managed to turn the gun on Abdul-Mateen and pull the trigger."

Jeffries has not been charged with the homicide and there are no charges pending.

"Detectives consider this case a self-defense shooting," Smith said.

The case is still under investigation. At the time of this incident, Abdul-Mateen, a former professional boxer, had active warrants against him from the Dunwoody Police Department for false imprisonment and battery stemming from a prior incident with Jeffries.