Man shot at roommate 16 times, killing him outside their DeKalb home

A North Carolina man has been convicted and sentenced to life in prison for killing his roommate last year.

Cedric Collins, 25, was found guilty of malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony for the October 20, 2023 death of 35-year-old James Broadnax. He was then sentenced to life in prison, plus an additional five years.

Investigators say when they got to the home on Westwood Drive home in DeKalb County, they found Broadnax locked in his running Dodge Charger where he had been shot several times. First responders had to break into the car to get him out. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

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Officers found 16 shell casings in and around the car from the shooting, which the Georgia Bureau of Investigation later determined had all been fired from the same gun.

Witnesses told investigators that Collins and Broadnax lived together in the home with two other men, all of whom work together at an appliance company driving box trucks that transport washers and dryers.

They say Broadnax and Collins got into an argument and both men drove away from the house separately.

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Collins came back to the house while investigators were on the scene, and was taken into custody.

He told police that he shot Broadnax in self-defense because Broadnax was following him in his car. He said when he noticed that he was being followed, he stopped the box truck he was driving, got out and asked Broadnax why he was following him before opening fire. He never said that Broadnax had a weapon or that he threatened him.

Investigators did not find a gun on Broadnax or in his car. They found Collins’ gun with an empty magazine in the box truck he was driving.

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