Gwinnett County

70-year-old grandfather gunned down during family gathering outside Norcross home

NORCROSS, Ga. — A family says they are fortunate more people weren’t injured when a gunman opened fire and shot and killed a 70-year-old grandfather outside a Norcross home.

The family told Channel 2’s Tom Jones that Richard St. John’s wife died recently from cancer. Now his family has lost him as well. The family said they were gathered in the front yard of his home when a gunman came up and started shooting.

“They took my dad. They took my world. They took my kid’s grandpa,” granddaughter Michelle Garcia said.

Garcia said St. John was like her father.

They also took a father from Robert St. John.

“When you think about it, it doesn’t seem real. I just can’t understand why,” Robert St. John said.

Robert St. John said there was a family gathering at the home along Brittney Way on Sunday around 8 p.m. Garcia said she went inside to the bathroom and that’s when she heard gunshots.

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“It was more than 25,” Garcia told Jones.

When she came out, Garcia said she tried to get her grandfather somewhere safe.

“I told him to come inside, but when I told him to come inside he was already shot,” Garcia said.

Richard St. John later died at the hospital. His son told Jones he will miss his best friend.

“More than anyone will ever know. More than words can express,” Robert St. John said.

Garcia said Richard St. John’s wife had died in 2017 from cancer. She said he had his late wife on his mind as he said his last words.

“He said, ‘I just want to be with, momma’ and ‘I love you and Bobby,’” Garcia said.

The family said their father had been dealing with someone tagging his fence and car. They are not sure if that had anything to do with the shooting.

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