On December 11, 2017, 17-year-old Julius Lewis was shot and killed at a residence on Weis Lane in Pensacola, Florida. The shooting left 19-year-old Raymond Martinez dead and injured Ranlondis McDowell. Gideon Fussner, who had been friends with Lewis since childhood, fired the shots; he admitted shooting Lewis twice in the back as Lewis tried to flee but said he acted in self-defense after fearing for his safety.

Prosecutors argued the victims did not pose an immediate threat, while Fussner pointed to ongoing tension with Lewis’s older brother, Tyriqkus, including a Facebook message Fussner perceived as a threat. A jury acquitted Fussner in December 2018 of two counts of second-degree murder and one count of aggravated battery. Julius Lewis was remembered by his mother, Tabitha Johnson, for his academic achievements and positive impact on others.