Overview
- Lawrenceville officers found 58-year-old Cesar Tejada fatally shot on Groveland Parkway around 5:20 a.m. on Jan. 1.
- Investigators say Tejada picked up a rider on Rangewood Drive shortly after 4 a.m., who allegedly exited the back seat, shot him in the back, left him in the roadway, and fled in the SUV.
- Detectives tracked the vehicle to the trip origin, conducted surveillance, and detained 15-year-old Christian Simmons walking near his home without incident.
- Police believe the motive was vehicle theft and reported no evidence of an argument before the shooting, with questions such as the gun’s source still under investigation.
- Uber says it is assisting investigators and has banned the rider account, and the victim’s family launched a GoFundMe that had raised more than $8,000 as of Jan. 4.