Investigators traced a Toyota Corolla after John Rice survived four gunshot wounds and described the attacker’s disguise.
KENNESAW, Ga. — Statements from a wounded homeowner and his neighbors, combined with security video of a fleeing Toyota Corolla, led police to arrest a Marietta man in a carefully disguised shooting outside a Kennesaw residence.
Police say Jacob Forrest Kevinsson, 33, carried a cardboard box to John Rice’s door, confirmed Rice’s identity and fired a concealed gun through the package. Rice was hit four times but remained able to speak with officers. The investigation connected Kevinsson to the car and to Rice’s girlfriend, whom Kevinsson had previously dated. He is jailed without bond on three felony charges.
The first break in the investigation came from the person who had been shot. Rice suffered two wounds to the left side of his chest and two to his right forearm, according to police and an arrest warrant. Even with those injuries, he walked from his home to a neighbor’s residence and asked for help. That neighbor called 911. When officers and medical workers arrived, Rice was conscious and able to describe a man who had appeared at his door carrying a package. He explained that the visitor had asked him to verify his name before the gunfire began. That detail gave police reason to treat the shooting as a directed attack rather than random violence. It also suggested that the attacker wanted to make sure the intended person had opened the door before pulling the trigger.
Investigators then turned outward from the entrance of Rice’s home to the surrounding street. They interviewed neighbors who had seen or heard activity around 10:30 p.m. May 6 and collected available security-camera recordings. Those sources helped police identify the getaway vehicle as a Toyota Corolla. Officer David Buchanan said neighbor cooperation and security systems were vital to the case. Police have not released the recordings, identified the number of cameras involved or said whether any one camera captured the shooting itself. The public account indicates that the images were useful in following the vehicle, but it remains unclear whether they showed a license plate, the driver, the route into the neighborhood or the car’s direction after it left Smith Street.
The vehicle evidence eventually pointed detectives toward Kevinsson, police said. Authorities described him as a Marietta man and the former boyfriend of Rice’s current girlfriend. That relationship supplied a possible link between the suspect and the target, while the Toyota supplied a physical lead investigators could trace. Police arrested Kevinsson in early June and booked him into the Cobb County Jail. Officials have not explained each step between identifying the model of the car and obtaining the arrest warrant. They have not said whether officers compared registration records, searched automated camera databases, reviewed additional private video or interviewed Kevinsson before taking him into custody. They also have not disclosed whether he made a statement or denied involvement.
The alleged disguise was central to Rice’s description and to the police theory of the attack. Investigators say the visitor wore a mask and held a cardboard box high enough to conceal his face. The gun was hidden behind or inside the box, allowing the person to stand near the door without openly displaying a weapon. “He was trying to look like a delivery driver,” Buchanan said. After Rice confirmed his identity, the gunman fired through the cardboard. Police have not said that the man used a uniform, branded package, delivery scanner or commercial van. The appearance of a delivery depended instead on a familiar object and behavior: carrying a box, knocking at a residence and asking for the person who lived there.
Detectives have not publicly described the forensic work conducted at the home. A shooting through cardboard could leave bullet holes, fibers, residue or other damage that helps establish how the gun was positioned. Bullets or fragments removed during Rice’s medical treatment also could be compared with a recovered firearm, though police have not said whether they found one. Officials have not announced the caliber or model of the weapon, the number of shots fired or the location of any shell casings. They also have not confirmed whether investigators recovered the box, mask or clothing used during the attack. Those unknowns leave a gap between the reported eyewitness and camera evidence and any laboratory evidence that may later be introduced in court.
Police have said little about events before May 6. It is unclear whether Kevinsson and Rice knew one another personally, had communicated or had been involved in an earlier dispute. Authorities have not reported prior threats against Rice, complaints involving the woman both men had dated or earlier police calls connected to the same people. They also have not said how the attacker allegedly obtained Rice’s home address or knew he would be present late that night. Buchanan said the emotional nature of relationships most likely played a role, but investigators have not released messages, searches or statements showing a detailed motive. The former girlfriend has not been accused of wrongdoing, and her name has not been made public.
Rice’s survival allowed investigators to build the case with a direct account from the target. His injuries were serious enough to support an aggravated battery charge, police allege, yet he could tell officers how the visitor approached and what was said before the shots. Rice later spoke briefly with a local television reporter but declined to appear on camera. He said he was getting by as best he could. Officials have not provided a more recent medical update. They have not said whether he has returned home, undergone additional procedures or regained full use of his injured arm. His limited public comments have kept attention on the police investigation rather than the private details of his recovery.
Neighbors also became part of the story after helping officers establish what happened and how the attacker left. Courtney Burdett moved into a home a few doors from Rice with her 8-month-old child after the shooting. She described the street as a place where little usually happens. “Nothing ever happens here, it’s a quiet street,” Burdett said. Her reaction showed how the reported method unsettled residents beyond the immediate crime scene. The visitor did not force entry or arrive displaying a gun. Police say he used the normal appearance of a package delivery to bring the target within range. No other residents were reported injured, and authorities have not described the incident as an ongoing threat to the neighborhood.
Kevinsson faces aggravated assault, aggravated battery and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime. The charges reflect the state’s accusation that he carried out an intentional armed attack that caused significant injury. They are not convictions. Kevinsson is presumed innocent, and prosecutors must prove the allegations beyond a reasonable doubt if the case goes to trial. Public reports do not list a lawyer representing him, a plea or a future court date. No indictment has been announced. His continued detention without bond means the case could next appear through a bond request, a preliminary proceeding, a grand jury action or another court filing, depending on how prosecutors and the defense proceed.
The evidence described so far forms a chain rather than a single public recording of the crime: Rice’s account, his injuries, neighbor statements, camera footage, a Toyota Corolla and Kevinsson’s prior relationship with Rice’s girlfriend. Each link may receive closer review as the criminal case advances. Defense attorneys can test the reliability of identifications and challenge how investigators traced the vehicle. Prosecutors may seek to add forensic evidence, digital records or testimony that establishes planning and motive. Police have not said whether the investigation remains open, whether more search warrants were served after Kevinsson’s arrest or whether additional evidence is still being processed.
More than a month separated the shooting from the first reports of Kevinsson’s arrest, but police have not released a complete timeline of their work. The next detailed account may come from court records or testimony rather than another police statement. Kevinsson remained held without bond, while Rice continued recovering from the four wounds that started the investigation.
Author note: Last updated July 10, 2026.