On the night of July 4 into the early morning of July 5, 2020, a Fourth of July gathering in Atlanta’s Sweet Auburn neighborhood ended in a mass shooting after a car struck a pedestrian and a subsequent confrontation. Joshua Ingram, 20, a sophomore at Georgia State University who wanted to become a mechanical engineer, was one of two people killed; 13 others were injured. He was the youngest of eight siblings and remembered by his mother, Sherlyn Ingram, as a gentle giant who was always smiling.

The Atlanta Police Department first arrested De’Andre Brown in September 2020 on two counts of felony murder and one count of aggravated assault, but those charges were later dropped by the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office for insufficient evidence. The investigation continued and two other men, Jerry Emile and Saeed Reed, were later indicted. Emile faced multiple counts including felony murder and aggravated assault; Reed was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and possession of a firearm during a felony. Prosecutors said it was unclear who fired the fatal shots but alleged Emile instigated the violence by brandishing and firing a weapon after a vehicle involved in the initial incident.

The family has publicly expressed frustration and pain over the handling of the case and continues to mourn Joshua’s death. If anyone was at the Sweet Auburn fireworks that night or has information about the shooting, please come forward.