A DeKalb County family is grappling with a grim Christmas memory after their loved one was fatally shot just weeks before the holiday. As reported by WSBTV, 34-year-old Brandon Castlin was killed outside his Creekwood Hills home off Boring Road, leaving behind four children and his fiancée, Ashley Calhoun.
Shot outside his South DeKalb County residence, the father of four's absence has turned this season into a shadow of its former warmth and joy. "This is our first time without him since we've been together. I don't sleep at night. I wait up for him, knowing he's not coming home," Calhoun told WSBTV. The perpetrator of the shooting compounded the tragedy by stealing Castlin's vehicle and wallet.
In the wake of the tragedy, the family struggles to explain the permanence of loss to the young children. According to Calhoun's interview with WSBTV, one of her sons, a 4-year-old, naively awaits his father's return from heaven. A newborn was only six days old when his father was taken from this world, an absence he's too young to understand but will feel as he grows.
The victim's older brother, Chris Simmons, shared with WSB Radio that coping has been a daily struggle, "It’s been a day at a time. We’ve been taking it a day at a time. Everyone has their moments." The family sought solace in honoring their lost member by preparing his favorite dishes this Christmas.
Tammy Castlin, Brandon's mother, expressed a deep sense of loss and confusion to WSB Radio, conveying a message to her son's killer, "Why? Why would you take my son?" Her plea echoes the incomprehension of a grief too profound for words.
Authorities are continuing their search for the suspect. In an effort to advance the investigation, police are urging those with information to come forward and provide any helpful details that could lead to an arrest. The family and community alike await justice for a life cut tragically short.
