Juamada K. Anderson, a 22-year-old Black man, was fatally shot on the evening of May 22, 2021, in Duluth’s Central Hillside neighborhood while spending time with friends on a porch. A scuffle broke out in the small crowd; weapons were drawn and a 17-year-old friend, Patrick W. Battees, was struck during the confrontation. After breaking away, Battees turned and fired a .45 caliber handgun into the group. A single shot struck Anderson in the head; he died shortly thereafter. Surveillance video captured the sequence of events.

Battees was arrested and initially handled in juvenile court before his case was certified for adult trial. He claimed his life had been threatened. Several other people were also charged in connection with the incident: Laurel Ladd was convicted of aiding an offender and given probation; Tyrone Childs Sr. was convicted of being a felon in possession of a firearm and of a drive-by shooting after firing a 9mm from his van following the initial shot; another man, Markus Morris, faced similar charges. Investigators reviewed video that showed at least one or two other individuals firing as a suspect fled.

What details from that night or the surveillance footage might help explain how the confrontation escalated to deadly gunfire?