Grant Park Increases Reward Offer In McReynolds Shooting Death

The Grant Park Neighborhood Association voted Tuesday to make a $500 donation to Crime Stoppers Atlanta to increase a reward offered for information in the July 26 shooting death of David McReynolds.

The $500 donation increases the typical $2,000 Crime Stoppers Atlanta reward to $2,500.

The 54-year-old longtime Grant Park resident and beloved fixture in the community was shot in broad daylight in the 700 block of Hill Street off Grant Park Place.

A resident of Augusta Street, it is believed his killer or killers shot him to get a lottery ticket in which he may have won a small cash amount.

"We're all family here," Chris Newman, chairman of the GPNA's Public Safety Committee, said in recommending the group make the donation. "We lost a family member."

Indeed, McReynolds' family and friends don't want him to be forgotten and said bringing his killer to justice would bring closure and honor his memory.

"He was a humble, meek man," Angela Sheats, his wife, told East Atlanta Patch. "I've been quietly strong for him and for myself. I've been praying a lot and I know he's in a better place."

His friend, Jackson Faw, who lives in neighboring Peoplestown, said he hopes that residents of his community, along with Grant Park and Summerhill, will work more collaboratively to fight crime, which impacts all three neighborhoods.

Miguel Sepulveda, director of Crime Stoppers Greater Atlanta, told residents the rewards are a key enticement to getting information that could break felony cases ranging from murder and armed robbery to home invasions and kidnapping.

Since forming in metro Atlanta 2007, the tips telephoned into its call center have led to 393 arrests, helping police close some 542 cases, he explained.

The tips and cash rewards — if those tips lead to arrest and prosecution — are completely anonymous.

"In a case like this it is extremely important to reach that one person," Sepulveda said. "Somebody out there knows who committed this crime. We just need to identify who that person is."

Anyone with information in the shooting death of David McReynolds is urged to call 911 or Crime Stoppers Atlanta at 404.577.TIPS (8477).