MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Debra Stewart is doing the best she can to cope with the violent murder of her brother in March.
Gerald Stewart, 50, was gunned down in the parking lot of his auto repair shop on Elmore Road in northeast Memphis.
“My brother was a fun loving, sweet heart, gentle giant,” Debra said.
Memphis Police say two months ago, Stewart, a very well known and liked auto mechanic, received an alert from one of the security cameras at his auto repair shop just after 4 a.m. When he went to check it out, he caught the suspects trying steal catalytic converters off the vehicles at his shop.
Detectives says one of them pulled out gun and shot Stewart mutiple times.
His girlfriend arrived soon afterwards. She found him and started CPR. By the time pramedics rushed his to the hospital, it was already too late.
Debra said this wasn't the first time by brother had problems with people trying to break into his auto repair shop, but this was the first time that someone tried to take his life.
“You bring a semi-automatic weapon to steal a catalytic converter and you use it,” she said, addressing the killer. “You've robbed three daughters of their father, you've robbed my mother of the son that she adored, you've robbed me of a brother.”
Detectives would like to talk to the man in this picture in connection with Stewart's murder. Officers say the suspect may have gotten away in a white mid-size vehicle.
If you know who killed Gerald Stewart you are urged to call Crime Stoppers at 528-CASH.