DeKalb County

Father of two killed in road rage shooting

By Matt Johnson, WSB-TV
By Matt Johnson, WSB-TV

DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — The friend of a man who died in a road rage shooting worries the shooter could open fire again.

NewsChopper 2 flew over the shooting scene along Highway 78 in DeKalb County on Thursday.

Since then, we've learned the victim was driving to see his two children.

Friends say Gerald Tisdale was on his way to see his children when someone opened fire on him driving down Highway 78.

DeKalb County police have picture of the suspect's car.

The father of the two, Gerald Tisdale, is now dead and leaves behind family and friends who can now only demand justice.

"It's such a senseless, tragic situation that didn't have to occur," family friend Paul Preyer told Channel 2's Matt Johnson.

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Tisdale was driving a Jeep Cherokee along Highway 78 on Thursday when someone shot and killed him on his way to see his two children, ages 12 and 9. The shooter kept going.

“He cared a lot of about his family. He adored his children. He was a man of faith, just a really good guy,” Preyer said.

Preyer told Johnson that he was Tisdale's friend for nearly 20 years. He says the 52-year-old's children are leaning on their faith in their grief.

“They're certainly angry about why this happened and the children don’t quite understand how it occurred and particularly why their father,” Preyer said.

Police said a black Nissan Altima was involved in the shooting. They believe the car had up to four people in it when someone inside opened fire.

Police say the people in the other car were the aggressors when an argument on the road lead to Tisdale's death.

“For these cowards to do what they did and take these children's father away from them, it's justified and I hope they get what's coming to them,” Preyer told Johnson.

Tisdale's friends and family hope that the suspects turn themselves in or are caught by police before they hurt anyone else.

“They can run from the law and they can’t run from their conscious and they can’t run from God,” Preyer said.

Police say the other people believed to be in the other vehicle could all face murder charges as well.

Cox Media Group

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