In the late hours of a Sunday evening in southwest Atlanta, a knock at the door of his Stanton Road home would tragically be the final one Rashaud Broner would ever answer. On August 19, 2018, the 29-year-old man was confronted by a group of armed individuals upon opening his door. A physical altercation immediately broke out between Broner and the intruders, culminating in him being shot in the stomach.
He was urgently transported to Grady Memorial Hospital, but his life could not be saved, and he was pronounced dead. The assailants fled the scene, leaving a family devastated and a community searching for answers.
The Atlanta Police Department began an investigation into the home invasion and murder. In the weeks that followed, authorities identified at least two individuals believed to be connected to the fatal shooting. One of the men, 20-year-old Jarmaine Reynolds, was taken into custody on September 14, 2018. He was subsequently charged with armed robbery and felony murder for his alleged role in the events that led to Broner's death. The investigation, however, did not end with this single arrest as police continued to pursue other leads.
Another man, 19-year-old Marguell Scott, was also arrested and put on trial for the murder of Rashaud Broner. After the presentation of the case and deliberation, a jury found Scott not guilty of the charges. In a painful turn of events for Broner's family, Scott would cross their path again. A mere three months after his acquittal, Scott was involved in a fatal car crash that claimed the lives of two people, one of whom was a friend of the Broner family. This second tragedy reopened emotional wounds and left them questioning the justice system as they continued to mourn the loss of Rashaud Broner.
