Imagine losing your brother... to murder.

About two weeks ago I met with a man who lost his brother to a violent shooting that took place in Murfreesboro, TN. I met E.J. Alexander outside of a church. He was waiting for me as I pulled up on a blistery cold morning in early January. We had set the appointment up the week prior. I got out of my truck as he started the slow walk towards the office door as if I knew who he was as I walked towards him. With no formal introduction, and zero words spoken we both walked inside. It was as if I were there for him to unload a portion of his burden and he was ready to detail his emotions.

Once inside the church we both sat down in a meeting room that had probably been used in the past to tell family members about the death of a loved one. I was familiar with the church we met in as it had been around for years serving as the home to Minerva Drive Church of Christ and now Olive Branch Church.

The room we ventured into, directly to the left as you walk in, was quiet as we both took a seat. Pastor Vincent Windrow was on my right and E.J. sat down to the left of me.

E.J. spoke of how he misses his brother Robert McAdoo who was shot multiple times while inside of a home located on Sycamore Circle. Ironically, the home was a mere 100-yards from the home he and his brother grew up in on Kent Place near Rogers Park. On the morning of the shooting, I remember receiving a phone call while at WGNS from a Sycamore Circle resident telling me that gun shots were heard in the early morning hours and now police are all over the street. I later visited the home in question and met with McAdoo's surviving niece who was waiting for a school bus to pick up a surviving child. The niece talked about her love for McAdoo and how he will be missed.

In addition to McAdoo being gunned down inside the home, so was his friend Michael Evans. E.J. Alexander told me his brother was shot by at least two people using a .223 rifle and a .45 on April 29, 2014. He fought back tears when describing how he misses his older brother. While he talked, he would remove his glasses and rub his eyes with his tattooed hands to hide the tears. "What are the tattoos," I asked him. He told me that he once thought of himself as a rapper when he was younger. He joked about it and regained his composure in discussing his brother.

I asked, "What's the hardest thing about losing your brother?" He looked towards Pastor Windrow and then looked towards a blank wall in the room, "Raising his daughter." Olivia was only ten when her father was killed last year. She now stays with E.J. some nights and grandmother "Momma Rita" on other nights. He told me, "It's-It's been hard you know, to see her cry in spurts. For me to have to tell her that it's okay to cry... the struggle is constant, but it's consistent. My drive is just as strong and consistent."

I was curious as to if he had forgiven the unknown killer or killers who shot his brother. Sometimes, forgiving a killer is the hardest thing to do, but most relieving. E.J. stated, "For me, it's hard. I'm accepting it. I'm not uh, I'm not bitter - because I know that bullet was not meant for him or Michael. To me, it's a sad situation. I just miss him." He further said, "God will judge my brothers shooters accordingly and I believe that God's wrath is far worse than any evil thought that could be conjured by an idol mind of mine or anyone else's that has been affected by this senseless act."

The story is not over. The murderer or murderers have not been arrested. Murfreesboro Police are continuing to work on the case in hopes of making an arrest in the near future.