Jaden McKinnon was 22 when he was shot and killed on the afternoon of Sunday, August 13, 2023, at his home in the Willowest in Lindbergh apartment complex in the Buckhead neighborhood of Atlanta. He had moved to Atlanta from New Jersey in March 2022 to pursue studio engineering, supported himself working as a professional dog walker and sitter, and hoped someday to breed French bulldogs.

According to accounts of the incident, McKinnon was walking his two French bulldogs on the apartment grounds when a man attempted to steal one of the dogs. A struggle took place during an armed robbery and McKinnon was shot. He was taken to a local hospital where he died; one of the stolen dogs was later recovered and returned to the family.

The FBI and Clayton County law enforcement arrested 24-year-old David Kinney on August 18, 2023; he was charged in connection with the shooting. McKinnon’s mother filed a lawsuit alleging the complex had neglected a broken security gate that allowed the attacker onto the property.