A man already serving life in prison for a fatal shooting was convicted Thursday in a separate deadly 2021 shooting in DeKalb County, officials said.
Jamaar Bracey, 39, was found guilty of murder, aggravated assault, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony in the Valentine’s Day incident. He was sentenced to life in prison without parole, plus 15 years, to be served consecutively with his initial sentence.
On Feb. 14, 2021, Rodney Evans was removed from an overturned car that had fallen down an embankment on Warriors Path off Flat Shoals Parkway. After firefighters were able to get the 31-year-old out of the vehicle, they discovered he had been shot in the head, DeKalb District Attorney’s Office spokeswoman Claire Chaffins said. He died June 3 in the hospital.
At least four bullet casings were found at the scene and Evans’ car had a bullet hole on the front driver’s side.
Detectives learned through interviews that Evans had been in a “tumultuous relationship” with a woman who lived near the crash site, Chaffins stated. That woman also had a protective order against Evans.
About two hours prior to the shooting, Chaffins said the woman told investigators that she heard an “aggressive” knock at her door and noticed she had several missed calls and text messages from Evans. He allegedly left the home, but eventually returned in the early afternoon.
When the woman saw Evans outside her house, Chaffins said she called Bracey, who had picked up their daughter from the home that morning. The woman then asked Bracey to return to the house because she was scared.
At some point, Chaffins said the woman called Bracey again and he told her that he had shot at Evans.
“Defendant Bracey claimed he shot at Evans because Evans had rolled down his window as their cars crossed paths on the road,” Chaffins said, adding that the woman told police she did not hear from Bracey after his confession.
Bracey was arrested in North Carolina on March 10, 2021. At the time, he had already been arrested in that state in connection with a fatal shooting in Cobb County.
The Cobb shooting, which led to the death of 22-year-old Shawn Gray, happened about a month prior to the DeKalb incident. Bracey believed Gray was responsible for a drive-by shooting in Chicago that injured his nephew, so he planned and executed the revenge killing but ultimately shot the wrong man, the Cobb district attorney previously said.
He was convicted in September 2021 of murder and sentenced to life without parole, plus five years. He is serving time at Hays State Prison in Chattooga County.
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