When Corey McDonald was young, he found himself in trouble with the law. But for about the past two decades, he had embraced a simple, quiet life.
The 45-year-old recently started a new job at a warehouse working as a forklift driver. His two children were grown. And he wrote fiction books and sold them online.
That’s why his younger brother, Kelvin Brawley Jr., said it was so surprising to learn that McDonald’s life came to a violent end nearly a month ago when he was found fatally shot in the backseat of his charred car in DeKalb County.
“I just couldn’t believe someone would do that to him,” Brawley told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution this week. “He was a lovable guy, it’s not like he was in the streets or something like that.”
Since the fatal shooting Oct. 6, Brawley said police have been reluctant to share updates on the case. Officers said a witness saw two suspects running from the scene, but their identities have not been released. Brawley, 31, and the rest of the family are hoping the case will be resolved soon.
On the day of the shooting, McDonald was scheduled to meet a person early in the morning to get a truck that would then be used to pick up one of his cars from an auto shop, Brawley said. When McDonald didn’t show up, the truck owner tried calling him several times. With no luck, the man called McDonald’s family, who were also not able to get in contact with him.
That wasn’t typical for McDonald, who always had his phone on him. But Brawley just thought his brother’s phone had died.
By the early evening hours, Brawley said he began to get worried. Then McDonald’s mother received a call from DeKalb police.
At around 7:40 a.m. that day, a 911 caller notified officials about two people who had set a vehicle on fire on I-20 East under the Gresham Road overpass and ran away from the scene, an incident report states. McDonald was found fatally shot in the back of a black Audi A6, a vehicle that was registered in his name, with a liquor bottle on top of him, the report adds.
Brawley said police told him the suspects likely shot McDonald somewhere in DeKalb and then drove the vehicle to the interstate, where they lit it on fire. He added that only his brother’s wallet and phone were stolen.
“I don’t know if it was wrong place at the wrong time or what, but it’s just unfortunate,” Brawley said.
Credit: Contributed
Credit: Contributed
Just a week prior to the incident, Brawley said his mother had a dream about McDonald being shot and killed. He now thinks it was a sign. But Brawley said his brother, who was living in Walton County, was doing so well in life that it’s hard to believe the reality of it all.
Brawley described McDonald as witty, energetic and family oriented.
McDonald didn’t have it easy growing up, Brawley said, but he worked to turn his life around. When McDonald was in his 20s, he went to prison for a year on drug charges. Not long after getting out, Brawley said his brother was caught again for selling drugs and spent another three years behind bars.
Once he was released, McDonald became determined to never return to prison, spending his free time writing stories about street life and love, Brawley said.
“(Prison) changed his mindset, changed his life. He went to prison for selling drugs, so he didn’t sell drugs anymore, he sold books,” Brawley said.
Brawley said he’s determined to get answers, but he’s unsure he will ever be able to understand why his loving and free-spirited brother met such a tragic end.
“We want justice,” he said. ”And so my family, we’re not going to let it just go ... we’re going to keep pushing until we find out something.”
About the Author
