MACON, Ga. — We continue our More Than a Number series by remembering a Macon shooting victim whose life ended on March 31, 2022.
Elijah Rasheed was 28-years-old when he was shot and killed on Napier Avenue by a man he didn't know. Rasheed was in a car with two friends when Brian Greene shot at their car.
The Macon District Attorney's Office said it was a single bullet that killed Rasheed. They said the bullet went through the trunk of the car, then into the backseat of the car, then hit Rasheed.
"It's been difficult, challenging, and life-changing," said Gregory Harris, Rasheed's former boyfriend.
He said they dated for about 10 months, and they were celebrating a promotion Harris had gotten recently on the night he died. They stopped by the store to grab some ice, and Harris was driving them back home when they were shot at.
"Literally not even in a minute's span is when the incident happened. I got the bag of ice out of Family Dollar's, I was the only one to get out of the car, the guy in the car next to us was staring at me. I just looked back at him, no exchange of words or anything," Harris said.
They noticed Greene was still staring at them when they drove off, but none of them expected what happened next.
"I heard a loud pop," Harris said.
After Rasheed was shot, Harris raced him to the hospital. Rasheed was treated, and being transported to a trauma hospital, when he died enroute, Harris said.
But that's not how Harris wants you to remember Rasheed.
"He loved art, painting and drawing. Walking in the park, things like that," Harris said. "It was really a sense of peace for him, in the midst of a chaotic world."
Both men connected because of their similar life experiences as gay men, Harris said. He believes their sexuality, and the way they dressed, had something to do with why they were shot at.
The D.A.'s Office also said that investigators believe their sexuality made them a target - and why Rasheed is no longer alive.
"I know he did love his family; considered me part of his family, amongst the two years that I knew him," Harris said.
He described Rasheed as a loving, and peaceful person.
"Nothing but love to share, and I can honestly say that's exactly what he brought. Nothing but love," Harris said.
In October, the man who shot Rasheed, Brian Greene, was given two life sentences without parole, plus 5 years. Just eight days earlier, he also fatally shot another man, Glenn Eugene Stevens.
Harris said he feels a sense of justice now they've had their day in court, and is glad Greene didn't get the death penalty, so he can spend the rest of his life thinking about the damage he's done.