In the summer of 2016, a promising young life was tragically cut short in Woodstock, Georgia. Bryce McCallum, a 19-year-old Black male, was killed on Sunday, July 24, 2016. He had just completed his first year at the University of West Georgia and was a celebrated football player at Etowah High School. Friends described him as a positive and respectful individual who made it a point to bring smiles to the faces of those around him.
McCallum was also preparing for a new chapter in his life as an expectant father.
The circumstances of his death were both shocking and heartbreaking. On that Sunday, McCallum's stepfather, Carl Lewis, approached police officers who were directing traffic at the First Baptist Church of Woodstock and confessed to shooting his stepson. Unsure if McCallum was still alive, he prompted a swift response from law enforcement. When deputies from the Cherokee County Sheriff's Office arrived at the family's home on Mirramont Place, they discovered McCallum deceased in a chair from a gunshot wound to the head.
The investigation that followed revealed a history of turmoil within the household. Friends of McCallum recounted that Lewis had been 'out of control' and that tensions had escalated in the days leading up to the shooting. A significant altercation had reportedly occurred after Lewis allegedly punched McCallum's younger brother. In defense of his sibling, McCallum confronted his stepfather, which led to his mother asking Lewis to leave the home. It is believed that Lewis later returned, blaming McCallum for the family's problems. Police reports also indicated a prior domestic dispute in January 2015, during which Lewis had allegedly become physical with both his wife and Bryce.
Carl Lewis was subsequently arrested and faced a series of serious charges, including malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime. A Cherokee County grand jury indicted him on these charges, as well as additional counts of cruelty to children and simple battery related to alleged actions against his spouse and another child around the time of the fatal shooting. Lewis was held without bond at the Cherokee County Adult Detention Center.
