Justin Lamont Sharpe, 27, was fatally shot just before 2:30 a.m. on August 1, 2015, in downtown South Bend, Indiana, at the intersection of LaSalle Avenue and Lafayette Boulevard. He was seated in the front passenger seat when a Chevrolet Tahoe pulled alongside and its driver opened fire. Sharpe was pronounced dead at the scene; the vehicle’s driver was also struck but survived.

Investigators quickly identified a person of interest known to the victims and said the motive was over something described as miniscule. On August 18, 2015, the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force apprehended Bryant Johnson in Elkhart, Indiana; he was charged with murder, attempted murder, and battery with a deadly weapon. Family and friends remembered Sharpe as a man with big dreams who was full of joy and laughter.