LARGO, Md. — Cornelius McDonald is still being mourned Monday across the DMV after being shot and killed Saturday morning.
The shooting occurred in front of Largo’s Jasper Restaurant. McDonald is survived by a 4-year-old son.
McDonald’s cousin, Rico Scott, said he was shocked to hear the devastating news and immediately went looking for answers.
"I immediately called his Mom, and she told me, 'yeah it’s true,'" he recalled. "[The police] told her about 6:30 Saturday morning, and it’s something you can never prepare for."
McDonald was known throughout the DMV region as an advocate who boldly took on gun violence and worked to make neighborhoods safe. His contemporaries say that work never went unnoticed and left its mark.
“So many people that knew him are coming forward with stories of things he did because he didn’t do it for attention, he did it because he cared,” said D.C. community organizer Ronald Moten. “He lost his sibling; his brother was killed to violence in the community.”
Now, those closest to McDonald are calling for the violence that took his life to end before another tragedy occurs.
Scott said, “It’s nothing that serious to take someone’s life for, and it needs to stop."
“When Neal was shot and killed on Saturday, it was yet another tragic reminder of why we continue to fight day in and day out to keep our communities safe – so that no one else’s life is taken by this crisis,” said Justin Murray, Youth Black Engagement Coordinator for Students Demand Action. “Neal has been a leader in the fight against gun violence and I’m grateful to have been able to call him a friend and a partner in this work. In his absence, we’ll continue to push for long overdue investment and support for young people in the DMV so they can live successful lives free of gun violence. This has been, and will continue to be, a personal fight for all of us, and it’s more important than ever that we carry on to achieve the future that Neal wanted to see.”
Prince George’s County Police says its still working to identify and arrest the suspect who fled the scene early Saturday morning, and officers were inside the restaurant, working part-time security. No suspect information has been released and investigators have not given much information regarding the circumstances surrounding the shooting. Anyone with any information on the shooting is encouraged to come forward as soon as possible.