A birthday celebration in Clarkston, Georgia, ended in deadly gunfire for 31-year-old Gary Matthews in the early morning hours of a November Saturday. Matthews and three companions were sitting in a white BMW in the parking lot of an adult entertainment club on Brockett Road when a Jeep pulled up about 3:55 a.m. Two men exited the Jeep and opened fire on the BMW, riddling the car with bullets. Matthews was found inside the vehicle with fatal injuries and pronounced dead at the scene. A male passenger suffered life-threatening wounds and was taken to a hospital; two female passengers were physically unharmed.

The Jeep was later found abandoned. Clarkston police conducted an active investigation and sought public help. On February 27, 2026, the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office Fugitive Unit and the U.S. Marshals Service arrested 22-year-old Robert Grady at a Decatur residence; he was charged with malice murder and held without bond. Authorities say a second person took part in the shooting but have not announced a second arrest.