A mother watched as her son was fatally shot Sunday after being caught up in what Gwinnett County police believe was a botched drug deal.
Officers met the victim, 20-year-old Rasheed Joseph, and his mother at a Chevron gas station on Lenora Church Road around 2:45 p.m. after a 911 caller advised that a man in a black BMW had been shot in the chest, an incident report states. Joseph was taken to a hospital with critical injuries and died the following day.
According to the victim’s mother, she drove Joseph to a home in the 3000 block of McCalla Court. She told officers that her son smoked marijuana and that’s why they were at the location, the report states. When they arrived, a man got into the back seat directly behind Joseph, who was in the front passenger seat.
The man, who the mother described as in his 20s and with short hair, told the woman to drive, the report indicates. At some point, the suspect reached around to the front seat, shot Joseph and stole cash from his pocket, according to police.
Another man, wearing a blue bandanna over his face, then came out of the woods with a gun in each hand, the report details. The victim’s mother subsequently jumped out of the vehicle, backed away and begged for the suspects not to shoot her, police said. She told authorities that one of them said her son was going to be OK while he continued to demand money from Joseph.
The woman was eventually able to get back into her car and flee the area toward the gas station.
Investigators confirmed they believe the incident was drug-related, but did not say what exactly motivated the shooting.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Gwinnett police detectives at 770-513-5300. Tipsters can remain anonymous by contacting Crime Stoppers Atlanta at 404-577-8477, texting information to 274637 or visiting the Crime Stoppers website.
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