Alize Forshee-Melton and Scott Melton only got to enjoy four months of marriage, but their love was fierce and unwavering.
Her twin babies, set to be born in the coming weeks, will now only get to know their father through pictures and memories.
“I’m going to be telling them stories about their dad, and that’s a beautiful part but a hard part that I think about a lot. They wont’s get to experience the amazing dad who I know was so ready for them,” she told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution during a phone call Saturday.
Melton, 34, was shot and killed Dec. 24 at a Family Dollar at the intersection of Delowe and Headland drives in East Point. Wednesday, the East Point Police Department announced a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and indictment of the accused gunman.
Justin Hodges, who stands 6-feet-7, is wanted on charges of murder and aggravated assault, police spokesman Sgt. James Watkins said. He has remained at large ever since fleeing the scene of the shooting, officials said.
On the day of the incident, 25-year-old Forshee-Melton said she and her husband had gotten into a disagreement, but it wasn’t like him not to come home or ignore her text messages. She recounted calling his mother in a panic after seeing a social media post stating that Melton had died.
“I called his mom immediately, and I’m like, ‘Where’s my husband?’ And she was just crying, and she was like, ‘They killed him.’ And I hung up on her because I didn’t want to hear it,” Forshee-Melton recounted.
The couple had only met in September. Forshee-Melton described it as a surreal feeling. She had walked out of a DeKalb County restaurant after meeting her sister for a meal when she ran into Melton. She said she felt an instant connection when they locked eyes.
Within three days, they were engaged. They married on Sept. 9.
Forshee-Melton said her husband also had an instant bond with her two children from a previous relationship. Her 2-year-old was especially attached to Melton; they would nap, eat and watch television together.
Melton even knew Forshee-Melton was pregnant with twins before she did, she recounted. She said he was excited to raise his own children and to be in the delivery room for the first time. It also would be the first time Forshee-Melton would have a partner in the delivery room with her.
“I’m just gonna be having Scott’s walking around in my house. Seeing those blue eyes that just get me every time,” Forshee-Melton said.
Since the shooting, Forshee-Melton said she has moved out of Georgia for her and her children’s safety, with the suspect still at large. Part of her also wanted a fresh start in a new state. Everywhere she went in metro Atlanta reminded her of Melton, and she found herself stuck.
Forshee-Melton remains hopeful an arrest will be made soon. She said the police have stayed in constant contact with her over the months, and on Friday, a detective told her tips began to flood in after the reward increase was announced.
“We’re hoping to catch him very soon,” she said.
Credit: East Point Police Department
Credit: East Point Police Department
Anyone with information about Hodges’ whereabouts can contact Crime Stoppers Atlanta at 404-577-8477, text information to 274637 or see the Crime Stoppers website.
— Please return to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution for updates.
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