Andrew Billingsley Jr., a 38-year-old Black man known to some as "Drew The Chef," was a father dedicated to protecting his family. Having grown up in Chicago, he was living in Minneapolis, Minnesota, at the time of his death. His life was cut short in a sudden act of violence that began with him coming to the aid of his son.
On the evening of Thursday, July 24, 2014, Andrew received a call from his teenage son, who said he was being harassed by a group of youths on a Metro Transit bus in north Minneapolis. Andrew boarded the bus to intervene. On the bus, he confronted the group, which included 16-year-old Joshua Davis Ford. Witnesses reported that the confrontation quickly escalated. The bus driver told police he saw Ford pull out a handgun and tell Andrew to get off the bus.
Just before 7 p.m., as the bus was near the intersection of Penn Avenue North and North 26th Avenue, Andrew exited through the front door. Ford, meanwhile, left through the back door.
As Andrew moved toward a gas station parking lot at 2606 Penn Ave. N., Ford began shooting at him. Witnesses said Ford continued to fire until Andrew fell to the ground. The bus driver, who was related to Andrew, activated a silent alarm to alert police and then rushed to perform CPR, but his efforts were in vain. Emergency personnel arrived and pronounced Andrew dead at the scene.
The Hennepin County Medical Examiner later confirmed that Andrew Billingsley Jr. died from multiple gunshot wounds. Investigators from the Minneapolis Police Department found at least six cartridge casings at the scene. The shooting was the third homicide in that part of the city in July 2014, prompting the police to increase patrols in the area.
The investigation moved quickly, aided by statements from multiple witnesses and surveillance video from the bus. The day after the shooting, Minneapolis police arrested a juvenile male suspect. Prosecutors soon charged Joshua Ford, who was initially identified as 16 but later as 17, with second-degree murder. The Hennepin County Attorney's office also filed a motion to have him tried as an adult.
Ford was held at the Hennepin County Juvenile Detention Center. On October 20, 2014, he pleaded guilty to second-degree murder. The Hennepin County Attorney's Office announced that due to "aggravating circumstances," they would seek a sentence of more than 33 years in prison, which was about eight years longer than the standard sentencing guidelines recommended for the crime.
The case concluded with the conviction of the person responsible for Andrew's death, but the senseless loss of a father who was simply trying to protect his child left a lasting scar. The incident highlighted the tragic and swift escalation of a dispute into fatal violence. As of October 2014, the legal proceedings against Joshua Ford had concluded with his guilty plea, bringing a measure of closure to the criminal case.
