A prominent Georgia divorce attorney was fatally shot in his office on Wednesday, and the suspect is the ex-husband of one of his clients, PEOPLE confirms.
The ex-wife of the suspect filed for divorce from her ex-husband, 65-year-old Allen Tayeh, early last year, 11Alive reports. Investigators allege Tayeh entered Lewis’ office on Dec. 7 at about 5 p.m., shot him, and then set his office on fire.
The former couple were reportedly set to go back to court next week, Fox5Atlanta reports.
Firefighters who arrived on the scene around 5:30 pm Wednesday found Lewis’ body inside the burned building. Police soon arrested Tayeh, who was walking away from the scene, according to an incident report obtained by PEOPLE. Tayeh allegedly had a revolver on him and spent shell casings, the incident report says, as well as burns on his hands, hair and clothing.
“It’s pretty brazen. It’s kind of out of the blue,” Lt. Parker said Thursday about the shooting, 11Alive reports.
A friend of Lewis’ told 11Alive he was devastated by the violent loss of his friend, who was also a former law partner. “Doug was a dedicated family man who cherished his wife and children. Rarely did a day pass that he didn’t mention them or how proud he was of them,”Jesse Kent said to the news outlet.
“Doug was a joy to be around; he was the standard that all lawyers — including me — aspired to be. His absence was felt the moment he left us and the legal profession will never be the same without him.”
It’s unknown whether Tayeh has an attorney to comment on his behalf or if he has entered a plea at this time.
