George Barnett Nelson Sr., 56, was shot and killed outside his Indianapolis restaurant, Pa & Ma’s Backyard BBQ, on the evening of August 21, 2024. The altercation began as a payment dispute over siding repairs; Nelson had hired 38-year-old Justin Jones, who reportedly demanded full payment up front while Nelson wanted to pay half then the remainder on completion. The argument escalated, Jones allegedly tore off siding he had installed and then produced a handgun, shooting Nelson multiple times in the chest. Nelson was taken to a hospital in critical condition and later died.

Witnesses gave a description of Jones’s vehicle, which was later linked to a separate shots-fired report the same evening. Officers located the car and detained Jones and two other men; two firearms were recovered in the vehicle. The two other men said Nelson had pointed a gun at Jones first. Police arrested and charged Justin Jones with Nelson’s murder.

Nelson was remembered as a longtime local fixture who had run the restaurant since the 1990s and was known for his generosity. Did anyone who knew George or who was near Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Street that night see something that could help the investigation?