One of six Macon shooting victims dies, and his father was also killed three months ago

One of two men shot Saturday night on Edwina Drive in Macon has died, and his father was also a homicide victim earlier this year.

Emmanuel Stroud Jr., 24, died in the intensive care unit at the Medical Center, Navicent Health, about six hours after the shooting, said Bibb County Coroner Leon Jones. His father, Emmanuel Stroud Sr., 57, was found dead with a gunshot wound in an abandoned house June 29 after he had been missing for two weeks.

Emmanuel Stroud Jr. was walking with Tecovelin Starling, 36, shortly before midnight when an unknown person started shooting, according to a Bibb County Sheriff’s Office release. They were on Edwina Drive near the intersection of Walmar Drive. Stroud was struck in the abdomen and left side of his head. Starling, who was struck in the left leg, was in stable condition.

“That’s 20 homicides this year and we had 20 homicides in all of last year,” Jones said. “The Confederate monument on Cotton Avenue hasn’t killed one of them.”

Stroud and Starling were among six people injured in three shootings in less than four hours late Saturday and early Sunday.

At approximately 1 a.m., three people were shot at a party in the 500 block of Hatcher Place. Rashaad Robinson, 30, Tyrone Collins, 27, and Chidica Collins, 35, all of Macon, were all struck. They are listed in stable condition at Navicent.

The third shooting happened just before 3:30 a.m on Ibex Street., which is close to Hatcher Place. Travis Brown, 33, of Macon, was walking on Ibex when he was shot in the left side of his face. He is listed in stable condition at Navicent.

Lt. Randy Gonzalez, sheriff’s department spokesman, said investigators are looking at whether any of the shootings are related, as well as whether Stroud’s death is related to the shooting of his father.

Friends and family were gathered Sunday afternoon at Stroud’s home on Adger Road, not far from where he was shot. His mother, Jean Smith, his sister, Emansia Stroud, and his step-father, Rondy Roberts, said they had no idea why he was shot. They also did not know whether it was related to his father’s death, or the other shootings the same night.

“I just think he was at the wrong place at the wrong time,” said Roberts, who called him “a wonderful guy.”

They learned of the shooting at about 1 a.m., went straight to the hospital and held onto hope he was going to pull through until they were informed of his death, they said.

After losing her father and her only brother in less than three months to homicide, Emansia said she is “trying to be strong” for the rest of her family.

She said her brother was a good person and said what was on his mind.

“We are going to remember him as outspoken and full of life,” his sister said.

They said he worked at Captain D’s, was trying to get his GED and he liked to joke with people.

“If he came around, you knew he was in the building,” Roberts said.

He said his step-son had been in some trouble, but nothing serious and he was not aware of him being involved in any gang activity.

Anyone with information on any of the shootings is asked to call the sheriff’s office at 478-751 -7500, or Macon Regional Crime Stoppers at 1-877-68CRIME.

This story was originally published September 17, 2017 at 8:22 AM with the headline "One of six Macon shooting victims dies, and his father was also killed three months ago."