Joe Ivory Johnson, a 31-year-old African American man, was fatally shot multiple times on the night of September 30, 2018, in Nashville, Tennessee. The shooting happened shortly before 11 p.m. as Johnson was getting into a friend’s car outside a Dollar General on Lafayette Street; he was later pronounced dead at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

Investigators say the attack did not appear random and that the shooter may have been lying in wait in the parking lot, suggesting a planned ambush. Surveillance footage reportedly captured a person of interest in a red Chevy Malibu parked near the MDHA office buildings on University Court, but witness descriptions were vague and no arrests have been announced. The Metro Police Cold Case Unit continues to investigate.

Johnson’s mother, Tracey Shepherd, has urged anyone with information to come forward. If anyone saw activity around the Dollar General or the MDHA office buildings that night, can you help bring answers to this family?