In the quiet community of Peachtree Corners, Georgia, a domestic dispute on a Tuesday afternoon in October 2014 shattered a family and left a neighborhood in mourning. Andre Mclean, a 19-year-old male, was tragically killed in a violent outburst by his own uncle. The incident, which unfolded on October 14, 2014, also claimed the life of Andre's 13-year-old cousin, Kayla Serrano. Andre was a recent graduate of Norcross High School, a former ROTC student, and was an expectant father.
The events of that day were set in motion by Andre's 30-year-old uncle, Brandon Mclean. Described by family as an angry and unemployed man who lived with his mother, Brandon initiated the violence that would end three lives and wound two others. The attack took place at a residence on Bannor Lane. Inside the home, Brandon Mclean shot and killed Andre and Kayla. He also shot and seriously injured his 57-year-old mother, Betty Mclean, who was the grandmother of the two teens, and her 52-year-old sister, Charlotte Longnecker. Both women were transported to a local hospital in serious but stable condition and survived.
According to a witness, the tragic series of events began with Brandon yelling at his niece, Kayla, before he went upstairs and opened fire. After shooting the teenagers, he shot his mother and his aunt. A family member who was present at the scene narrowly escaped being shot himself before Brandon Mclean turned the gun on himself. When police arrived at the apartment complex around 5:24 p.m., they discovered the devastating scene.
The Gwinnett County Police Department investigated the incident as a murder-suicide. Detectives quickly determined that Brandon Mclean was the sole perpetrator and that his fatal gunshot wound was self-inflicted. As the suspect was deceased, no arrests were made in connection with the deaths of Andre Mclean and Kayla Serrano. The motive for the shooting was believed to be related to the domestic tensions within the household. In the wake of the tragedy, grief counselors were made available at Pinckneyville Middle School, where Kayla was a student, to support classmates and staff struggling with the loss. The family, faced with unimaginable grief, was also left with the financial burden of burying the two young victims.
