Church offers $10,000 reward in killing

The name Marc Stewart may not have resonated widely in the Atlanta music scene, but the DeKalb County businessman was an important player, bringing big names in reggae music to the local area.

Stewart, 38, was found dead of a gunshot to the head last Saturday in an SUV parked outside the Bahama Breeze restaurant in Duluth, Gwinnett police spokeswoman Cpl. Ilana Spellman said.

Eddie Long, pastor of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church, announced Friday on V-103 that he will offer a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for the murder of the member of his Lithonia church.

“Marc was a major reggae promoter in the city,” V-103 morning announcer Frank Ski said Friday. “Whenever you heard about a reggae festival or concert, or Elephant Man or Beenie Man or Buju Banton or someone else huge in reggae was coming to town, it was always Marc that was doing it. [Stewart’s company] Ivory Coast Entertainment kind of had a lock on that.”

Tobago Benito of DBS Sound stores says Stewart would often come in the stores with flyers.

“And every time I saw him he had a smile on his face,” Benito said. “Good guy. Really outstanding guy.”

A memorial party for Stewart will be held Sunday at Club Intrigue, 5471 Memorial Drive in Stone Mountain. Go to www.marcstewartmemorial.com for details.

Those with information about Stewart’s death should call Gwinnett County police at 770-513-5300.