A dispute over a cellphone in southwest Atlanta ended in the death of 19-year-old Ashton Jackson on January 6, 2025. Jackson had accompanied a female friend to a residence on Holderness Street in the West End neighborhood shortly before 3 p.m. to retrieve another woman’s phone that was allegedly in the possession of that woman’s boyfriend, identified as Markius Gillespie.

At least one bullet struck Jackson in the head. Jackson’s friend told police Jackson had a gun but never drew it. After the shooting, Gillespie allegedly took Jackson’s fallen firearm and ordered the friend to flee. Jackson was found unresponsive by responding officers and pronounced dead at the scene.

Police worked for months to identify a suspect and in early May 2025 publicly named Markius Gillespie and offered a reward for information leading to his whereabouts. On May 12, 2025, Gillespie, age 22, surrendered to the Fulton County Jail and was charged with murder, aggravated assault, and theft by taking.

Did anyone in the West End neighborhood see what happened that afternoon or know more about the interactions that led up to the shooting?