Atlanta actress Jokisha Brown shot 'multiple' times a day before her 36th birthday
Jokisha Brown, 35, was shot "multiple" times outside an Atlanta makeup studio on July 2, 2016. The Atlanta model and actress was also a mother to a teenage son.
Jokisha Dynasty Brown, 35, had big dreams of making her way into the city's burgeoning entertainment business. Those that knew the Jacksonville native said that she was transitioning from a model and dancer to an actor.
She had even created her own play last year. In 2010, she starred in the movie "Queen Pin," which is what she called herself.
The mother of an 11-year-old son was in Atlanta, having traveled 20 miles from her Duluth, Georgia home, was waiting in her black Mercedes SUV for her appointment outside a makeup studio. To add to her excitement, in one day she would turn 36 years old.
That's when the shots rang out, police say. Brown was shot “multiple” times through the passenger seat of the SUV.
"Some witnesses say he was a light-complexioned black male. Others say he was possibly Hispanic," a police spokesman told reporters at a July 14 news conference. "We believe ... he came there to murder her. Ms. Brown was shot many -- multiple -- times. Because of the heinous nature of this crime we believe she was definitely an intended target. Whoever did this meant to kill her ... it looks like a hit."
He noted that the gunman was just outside the makeup salon where Brown was gunned down at 24 hours earlier, wearing "the exact same clothing," thus he is a main person of interest in the case.
The officer said that robbery wasn't a motive because nothing was taken. "She had a very nice vehicle, but nothing was taken," the officer said.
"We believe it was a purposely done murder."
Who ever did it "had to know her routine," friend Leah Dobbins told WSB-TV.
Speaking to WSB-TV, friends that knew her background said that Brown had previously been in an abusive relationship, even having to escape a kidnapping attempt by jumping from a moving vehicle. “She went through a hard, very, very hard time with this breakup,” Jordan Jackson told WSB-TV. “She steadily voiced it, she feared for her life that something might happen to her.”
Police on July 19 identified Brown's ex-boyfriend, Alfredo Capote, as a person of interest. Police are offering a $5,000 reward for information of Capote's whereabouts so that he can be arrested.
Brown, who went by Ms. Dynasty and Queen Pin, was well known to several of Atlanta's celebrities. Comedian Lil Dival posted on Instagram that she was like "Lil Mrs. Dival" to him growing up. Rapper Yung Joc wrote on Instagram "Im at a loss for words......... dont know why this happened......just in disgust over this loss."
Jokisha Brown was no stranger to heartache. In March, she created a GoFundMe for funeral expenses related to the death of her brother. In a moving Youtube video, she tearfully said, "I still can't believe that someone took my brother away from me."
On Friday, one day before she was killed, Brown wrote this on Facebook, according to Jacksonville.com: “I thank you lord for truly showing up in my life, always. I pray everyday you just order my footsteps and bless me with the wisdom to make great decisions in my life. The only thing I would love to have for my birthday is just have a fun loving dream tonight about my brother Marlon... First bday without you God please give me strength because the very thought makes my stomach weak and these eyes water ...but I also know it doesn’t hurt to cleanse the soul,✍Kisha.”
Brown's friends still can't get over losing her. "It was a really bad night last night, I believe a lot of people didn't sleep," said Terrence Armand, a Jacksonville photographer who worked with Brown, told FirstCoastNews.com. His photos of her have been featured in magazines.
"She was very receptive, very sweet, very nice, made everything really comfortable to work around," said Armand. "Every time you see her, she had a smile on her face, like I don't think anybody could have any kind of negative when it comes to her approach, she would always be cordial with everyone."
Police have yet to divulge whether they have a suspect or a motive. According to Vibe, they are investigating her boyfriend but he has not been named as a suspect.
"We're actually interviewing witnesses on the scene," Atlanta Police Capt. Ben McGee told WSB. "We do have a number of people who were on the scene when the incident occurred. We are collecting evidence, a number of shell casings.”
