Loved ones of Suwanee woman killed in drive-by shooting heartbroken: 'Why her?'
Mom killed in mistaken identity drive-by
A wife and mother was tragically killed in a case of mistaken identity during a drive-by shooting in Gwinnett County. Nicole Clemons, 45, was caring for her son and 8-month-old grandson at home when 23-year-old Christian Marcus Ware Lessington reportedly opened fire, killing her.
SUWANEE, Ga. - A 23-year-old has been arrested and charged in connection with a drive-by shooting that killed a beloved wife and mother in Suwanee early Friday.
Suwanee police say the suspected shooter, Christian Marcus Ware Lessington, drove up to a home on Baxley Village Trail and started shooting just after 2 a.m. Friday.
Loved ones of 45-year-old Nicole Clemons told FOX 5, she wasn’t the intended target.
"Why? Why her?" Edrick Clemons said. "It was senseless. This woman did nothing but care for people."
It’s a question that hasn’t left his mind in the days since his wife’s murder. He says she was caring for her son and 8-month-old grandson at their home when she was shot.
"To see that this person was able to shoot into the house knowing there’s an 8-month-old in the house and just didn’t care, that’s what really, really got all of us," he said.
Clemons, who says he was on a work trip when he got the news, told FOX 5 the shooting stemmed from a dispute between Lessington and another family member.
"This woman right here wasn’t even originally part of the problem, she was just trying to protect her son and she took a bullet for him," he said.
Lessington was arrested near the scene and charged with three counts of aggravated assault.
The wife and mother was taken to the hospital where she later died.
"I want him [Lessington] to understand that you took something I can never replace," Clemons told FOX 5. "You took something that broke me."
In an exclusive interview with FOX 5, Clemons said his wife Nicole was a beautiful soul, who loved her family deeply—especially her mother who lost her fight with cancer just last year.
"Every single solitary week, she took her back and forth to VA while her mom was battling breast cancer," he recalled.
While he said he’s grateful for the support his family has received from the community, his biggest comfort now is the belief that his wife and her mother are together again.
FOX 5 reached out to Suwanee police to find out if more charges will be filed against Lessington. We’re still waiting to hear back.
There’s no word on funeral arrangements at this time.
The Source: Some details of this story were reported by the Suwanee Police Department. Other details came from an exclusive interview between FOX 5 Atlanta and Edrick Clemons.