Frederick Parker

On a January morning in 2019, Atlanta was marked by its first homicides of the year. Frederick Parker, a 30-year-old Black man, and his childhood friend, 35-year-old Quinton Porter, were discovered inside a maroon SUV, both having been fatally shot. The vehicle was found around 7:15 a.m. near the intersection of Lee and Whitehall streets in the southwest part of the city. When law enforcement officers arrived, both men were pronounced dead at the scene.

The discovery drew an emotional crowd of up to 100 people from the community where the men were well known. As grieving friends and family gathered, a fight broke out, requiring a larger police presence to restore order. The investigation quickly indicated that the shooting was not a random act of violence. Authorities believed the two men were the intended targets, and the motive appeared to be an attempted robbery. Porter was known to carry large sums of money, sometimes more than $100,000.

Investigators determined that a man had exited a white Toyota Camry, opened fire on the SUV where Parker and Porter sat, and then searched their vehicle. The shooter then fled in the Camry, which was driven by another man. Within days, police made their first arrest. Carlos White, an acquaintance of both victims, was taken into custody on January 11, 2019, and charged with murder. He was identified as the getaway driver. The following month, a second suspect, Johnathan Pittman, was arrested in Louisiana and identified as the shooter.

Four years later, the case came to a legal conclusion. After prosecutors consulted with the families of both victims, Pittman and White accepted negotiated plea deals in May 2023. As part of the agreement, Johnathan Pittman’s murder charge was reduced to aggravated assault with a deadly weapon; he also pleaded guilty to criminal attempt to commit armed robbery and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Carlos White also entered a guilty plea for his role in the killings, bringing the case to a close.