Joshua Dupree Beason, known to friends and family as Big Unk, was shot and killed on Hertel Avenue in Buffalo, New York, on May 6, 2014. Born April 13, 1987, in Erie, Pennsylvania, he was 27 at the time. He graduated from Bennett High School in 2005 and attended Erie Community College. Family remembered him for his love of laughter, travel, and sports, especially the LA Lakers.

His death was one of 62 homicides in Buffalo in 2014. The investigation into his killing remains open; no suspects have been publicly identified and no arrests have been announced. Anyone with information about that night on Hertel Avenue is asked to come forward.