Joshua Watson was 18 when he was fatally shot in Atlanta, Georgia, on the pre-dawn of December 24, 2012. He had just stepped off a MARTA bus and was walking through the Lakewood shopping center parking lot after finishing a shift at an airport restaurant, heading home for Christmas. Reports indicate the apparent motive was robbery, though those reports also said he was not carrying any cash at the time.

Watson was active in his church as a junior deacon and planned to attend the Savannah College of Art and Design; he had recently graduated from the inaugural Beyond The Bricks Community Producers Program. The Atlanta Police Department canvassed the neighborhood, distributed flyers and a community reward was offered, but the case remains unsolved and the family continues to seek answers.

If anyone was in the Lakewood shopping center parking area on the morning of December 24, 2012, or has information about Joshua’s killing, authorities would welcome that information.