Mother talks about son's death for the first time, begs for answers

ATLANTA - Just about everyone in Atlanta remembers where they were when the Braves celebrated their long-awaited World Series win.

Alethea Johnson wishes things went differently that day. With her son dead for almost a year now, she's speaking publicly for the first time, hoping someone comes forward with information about Parnell Johnson's killer.

Friday, Nov. 5, Johnson and her family were walking back from the parade near Renaissance Park at Pine Street and Piedmont Avenue when the fun turned to fear.

"Next thing you know, a car pulled up in this crosswalk. Shots erupted. It was like a machine gun or something," she said.

Parnell Johnson (Courtesy: Alethea Johnson)

One of those bullets hit 28-year-old Parnell Johnson.

"I looked up and saw my son on the ground and that’s when he said 'mama I’m hit' and I didn’t care. Bullets we’re flying and everything. I jumped up and started running to my son," Jenkins said.

She and another bystander helped get him into the car and to the hospital, but he didn’t make it.

Johnson leaves behind a 9-year-old daughter who his mother says has not been the same since his death.

"She's been acting out," she said. "She wants her daddy. I can’t be her daddy. I can only be a grandma and try my best."

Renaissance Park at Pine Street and Piedmont Avenue  (FOX 5)

She says her son was generous, family focused and bright, and she'd do anything to know her son's killer won't break another family.

If you know anything about who is behind this shooting, you can submit an anonymous tip to Atlanta police or Crime Stoppers.