Mother of shooting victim still looking for answers
James Edward Parks was shot to death in June of 2017 on Nixon Avenue near Grover Street.
The mother of a slain Rome man is still looking for answers related to the 2017 shooting that ended her son’s life.
Over three years have passed since James Edward Parks was shot and killed on Nixon Avenue near Grover Street the night of June 14, 2017. Witnesses say a car pulled up, some words were exchanged and seven or eight shots were fired around 9:30 p.m.
His mother Rebecca Appleby says she hopes someone will come forward with information that can finally help solve the case.
“I was thinking maybe if I put it back out there, someone might say something or remember something,” Appleby said.
Parks was 31 at the time of his death and lived with his girlfriend not far from the scene of the shooting.
“I know they saw something, and I know they heard something,” Appleby said, referring to the group of people who were with her son on Nixon Avenue that night. “If you’re his friend then why did you leave him in the street like that?”
Appleby said she didn’t find out her son had been shot right away, but quickly figured out something wasn’t right.
“I kept calling his phone and he wouldn’t answer ... and we talked every day, all day,” Appleby said. “I knew something was wrong, I just didn’t know what was wrong.”
Several pieces of evidence were collected at the scene, according to Rome police. A gun, shell casings, blood and DNA were among the items sent for analysis at the Georgia Bureau of Investigation Crime Lab. All of the items collected were sent to the Crime Lab for processing, along with Parks’ body.
According to initial reports at the scene, a red Dodge Durango pulled up next to Parks, and eventually someone started shooting. At least one round struck Parks in the head.
“The worst part is knowing that somebody out there has the information,” Appleby said. “Somebody heard something or saw something and is just not saying anything and that really frustrates me really really bad.”
Parks left behind a daughter, who is now 16, which is one of many reasons his mother thinks it’s important someone comes forward soon, so the family can have some sense of peace.
“I just want people to realize that he was somebody’s son, somebody’s brother, someone’s uncle, someone’s dad, and if I was your mother, you
would want someone to come forward and tell what happened because I deserve an explanation, and I deserve closure,” Appleby said. “It’s been three years and I deserve to know what happened to my child.”
Anyone with information about the James Edward Parks shooting is asked to call 706-238-5111 or message the RPD Facebook page at Facebook.com/RomePD/.