A birthday party in Decatur ended in homicide when 20-year-old Joshua Quaintance was fatally shot on March 12, 2023. Quaintance had arrived at a short-term rental on Hillside Avenue with his sister and friends as the gathering was winding down. A comment he made on the phone, using the slang term green, offended a woman at the party and led to a confrontation in the driveway.

Several men, including the host, 21-year-old Brian Garfield Fort, came outside armed. Surveillance video captured parts of the altercation. Quaintance tried to walk away to his car, but Fort followed him down the street; multiple gunshots were heard. Quaintance’s sister found him wounded and he died shortly after 1 a.m. at a nearby hospital.

Police tied Fort to the shooting using social media posts and surveillance footage; Fort admitted bringing a gun outside and said he acted in self-defense, claiming Quaintance had a gun, but no weapon was found on or near Quaintance. Fort was identified and later arrested. A jury convicted Fort of felony murder, aggravated assault, and possession of a firearm during a felony, and a judge imposed life without parole plus five years.

If anyone at the party or who knew Joshua’s movements that night has information, please come forward.