Freddie Rach didn't cancel his wedding Saturday because he knew his brother, Michael Joseph Mullinax, would have wanted him to keep the date.

Even so, Rach said his wedding day was filled with thoughts of his brother, who was fatally shot five days earlier in Jessup.

Rach, 25, had debated whether to go through with the wedding, but he decided it was the right thing to do.

"I can't imagine my brother wanting me to not go through with this," said Rach, an Ellicott City resident, Sept. 15.

Mullinax, 17, of Jessup died of a single gunshot wound to the chest Sept. 10 in a residence in Sheffield Court, Jessup, according to Howard County police.

Mullinax was visiting a 22-year-old male friend at the time of the shooting and a shot was fired in the basement where the two were alone together, police said.

Police have not released the friend's name, and no charges had been filed as of Sept. 15.

A prayer was said for Michael at the beginning of Rach's wedding service and Rach said he couldn't get his brother off his mind. But he said he still was able to realize the joy of getting married.

"It was a wonderful experience, it was a wonderful time," Rach said. " We definitely prayed for Michael. He was definitely with us yesterday."

Fishing and custom cars

Michael Mullinax was born in Columbia at Howard County General Hospital in 1990 and attended area schools, his father, Joe Mullinax, said Sept. 12.

He last attended the Homewood Center, an alternative education center for students with difficulties functioning in the mainstream school system, in January of 2007, a Howard County schools spokeswoman said.

Recently, Mullinax worked a series of odd jobs, including landscaping, his father said.

Joe Mullinax remembered taking his son on fishing trips to area rivers and reservoirs and said his son was also a fan of custom-built cars, and wanted to work with cars as an adult. The shooting brought home to Joe Mullinax how much he loved his son.

"You don't really know how much you really love somebody until something like this happens," he said.

The afternoon before he was shot, Michael Mullinax was helping his father remodel the kitchen and then slipped away to visit his friend, his father said. Police called Joe Mullinax the following day at work to notify him of his son's death, he said.

Michael Mullinax is survived by his immediate family: mother, Deborah Mullinax; father, Joe Mullinax; and brother, Freddie Rach, Joe Mullinax said.

Joy followed by grief

Joe Mullinax attended the wedding of his stepson, Freddie Rach, at an inn near Westminster, where about 120 people attended, he said. Mullinax said he was able to separate the two events and was happy to see Rach get married.

"At that point, I just felt good," he said.

For Rach, the day after his wedding meant he again would have to face Michael's death.

"Come today, we're just going to deal with our loss," he said.

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