Lawrenceville police identified the victim in a New Year’s Day homicide as 58-year-old Cesar Tejada of Grayson, who was working as an Uber driver when he was shot and killed.
What’s Happening: Police released Tejada’s identity on January 2. Officers found him suffering from a gunshot wound in the roadway on the 600 block of Groveland Parkway around 5:20 a.m. on January 1, 2026. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
What’s Important: Police said Tejada was a husband and father of two. Detectives used FLOCK camera technology and worked with Uber to determine Tejada picked up 15-year-old Christian Simmons on Rangewood Drive around 4:13 a.m. Police say Simmons got out of the back seat at the 600 block of Groveland Parkway, shot Tejada, and left him in the roadway.
What FLOCK Is: FLOCK camera technology is a license plate reading system that law enforcement agencies use to track vehicle movements.
What Police Found: Officers located Tejada’s vehicle in the same area where the Uber trip started on Rangewood Drive and arrested Simmons.
B.T. Clark
B.T. Clark is an award-winning journalist and the Publisher of The Georgia Sun. He has 25 years of experience in journalism and served as Managing Editor of Neighbor Newspapers in metro Atlanta for 15 years and Digital Director at Times-Journal Inc. for 8 years. His work has appeared in several newspapers throughout the state including Neighbor Newspapers, The Cherokee Tribune and The Marietta Daily Journal. He is a Georgia native and a fifth-generation Georgian.
