ATLANTA — A man is behind bars after officials say he stabbed a father-to-be to death.

Atlanta police have announced the arrest of 36-year-old Landon Gibson, a man accused of killing 21-year-old Chavion Smith in October.

On Oct. 4 at 10:45 p.m., officers received reports of a person down on Flat Shoals Avenue.

When officers arrived, they located Smith, who had been stabbed multiple times. He was taken to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

According to the investigation, Smith was stabbed after he confronted someone who was stealing from cars on Flat Shoals Road. It’s unclear if the thief was targeting Smith’s car.

Family members and former teachers revealed on social media that Smith was a former standout football player from Statesboro, North Carolina. He was expecting a son with his girlfriend, Shania Bailey-Scott, who described him as her best friend.

“We had just celebrated our baby shower for our baby boy, who you were so ready to meet,” Bailey-Scott wrote on Facebook. “You were so excited to become a dad and meet your son; that’s all you would talk about. The fact you didn’t get the chance to hold our son before you left this earth is truly eating me up.”

After identifying Gibson as the suspect, police obtained arrest warrants and took him into custody on Feb. 1.

In bodycam footage on the day of his arrest, Gibson is seen exiting a back door before being taken into custody by officers who were standing in the backyard of the home.

Gibson was charged with murder, aggravated assault and entering an automobile.

WSB-TV’s Mary Alice Royse Ginther contributed to this story

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