MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (WTVF) — The Murfreesboro Police Department is investigating a fatal shooting that killed 26-year-old Christopher Jones-McClean and left another 25-year-old man seriously injured Thursday night.
Police believe the two men were victims of a robbery near Cason Lane, after speaking to witnesses. Early details reveal two masked men approached the victims, demanding money.
Kimberly Thompson, Chris McClean's mother, expressed her grief.
"I know that God loans them to us for a minute, and we have to give them back. But I wasn't expecting to give my son back this soon," she said.
Right now, the family is using the power of prayer to process the grief. The family said Chris wasn’t much of a talker.
"He was very reserved, but you would still see that smile. He had a hoodie on most of the time smiling," Thompson said.
To see more photos of his smile and more personal accounts from his family members, consider watching the video above.
His dad, Ehnrico McClean, says his son's smile was infectious.
"That smile was going to disarm you. I hate that smile couldn’t disarm them," Ehnrico said.
"He was always one to do things for you. He was very sentimental. He was very loyal," Kimberly said.
Chris was murdered in his garage. His family doesn't know why anyone would target him. Police think it could've have been a robbery.
"If I could’ve took the bullet for my son and him still be here, I would’ve done that too. I don’t have the words to explain how special of a child he was," Kimberly explained.
"I would give Chris my last penny if I needed to. He was the same way, with a big heart," Chris's dad Antonio Thompson said.
Thompson may have been Chris's step-father, but he considered Antonio and Ehnrico fathers. They're struggling, trying to process Chris's murder.
"They went for money, but they stole a whole lot more. They just murdered my generation. Where are my grand-kids at? I won’t ever know them," Ehnrico said.
They know holidays and Sunday dinners won't be the same without him. They won’t rest until justice is served.
“I want the people responsible to pay for it," Thompson said.
"People need to think about how precious life is. That was somebody’s son, uncle, brother, great grandson, grandson, best friend that’s gone over something stupid," Kimberly said.
Out of Kimberly's 5 sons, Chris was the second oldest.
Police are still investigating and are looking for the two masked men.
If you have any information that could be helpful with this investigation, contact Murfreesboro Police or Detective David Miller at 629-201-5662.
