Justin Minnitee Obituary, Death: 23-Year-Old Succumbs to Injuries in Southeast Atlanta Coan Park Double Shooting That Also Killed Anthony Person; Investigation Into Fraternity-Linked Gathering Remains Ongoing as Community Reels from Sudden Violence

On a humid Saturday night in southeast Atlanta, what should have been a peaceful evening at Coan Park was transformed into a scene of deadly violence that has since left two families mourning, a community shaken, and investigators working urgently to unravel the truth behind a shooting that claimed two lives. Among the victims was 23-year-old Justin Minnitee, who, after being critically wounded, later died from his injuries, as confirmed by the DeKalb County Medical Examiner’s Office on Monday. His death followed that of 33-year-old Anthony Person, who was pronounced dead at the scene.

The incident unfolded at Coan Park, located at 1530 Woodbine Avenue SE, a place that typically offers a quiet refuge for local residents—a patch of green in an otherwise bustling urban environment. But on this particular evening, the air was pierced by gunfire, and what began as a gathering—one that residents believe may have been fraternity-related—ended in chaos, fear, and bloodshed. The Atlanta Police Department, who responded swiftly to the 911 calls, found both Minnitee and Person suffering from gunshot wounds. Person was already beyond saving. Minnitee, still clinging to life, was transported to a nearby hospital, where, despite medical efforts, he succumbed to his wounds.

In the aftermath, the Atlanta Police Department launched what has now become a double homicide investigation. With no suspects identified and no arrests made as of the most recent update, authorities have stressed that the case remains active and ongoing. The lack of immediate answers has only heightened public anxiety, especially among those who live near or frequent Coan Park. For many residents, the idea that violence could erupt so suddenly in a space associated with recreation, family, and community underscores the unpredictable and invasive nature of gun violence that has increasingly become a grim hallmark of urban life.

Investigators are now focused on collecting evidence, examining any surveillance footage that may have captured the moments before, during, or after the shooting, and, perhaps most crucially, interviewing witnesses—particularly those who may have attended the gathering. Reports from individuals on the scene suggest the event may have been linked to a fraternity or similar social organization, but the police have not confirmed this publicly. The exact nature of the event—its purpose, organizers, and attendees—remains under scrutiny, as does the potential connection between the gathering and the deadly outburst.

The deaths of Justin Minnitee and Anthony Person have brought renewed attention to Atlanta’s struggle with escalating gun violence. Their names now join a growing list of victims whose lives have been ended or forever changed by bullets. Each case adds weight to a mounting sense of urgency that stretches from police precincts to city hall, and from school campuses to neighborhood associations. Law enforcement leaders are again emphasizing the necessity of community involvement—not merely to assist in solving crimes but to prevent them. In the case of Minnitee and Person, investigators are urging anyone who may have taken videos or photos during the gathering to step forward, as even minor details could prove instrumental in understanding what happened and why.

Yet the violence at Coan Park is not just a matter of forensic timelines and investigative strategy—it is a deeply personal loss. For the families of the victims, the past several days have been a whirlwind of grief, confusion, and unanswered questions. Justin Minnitee, just 23 years old, was likely still defining his path in life. His death now halts that trajectory entirely, leaving behind not only mourning relatives but the unfulfilled potential of a young man whose future was abruptly taken. Similarly, the loss of 33-year-old Anthony Person extinguishes a life lived with more years, but no less value. Both deaths carry with them a sense of violence that feels not only physical but existential—robbing families of their loved ones, communities of their members, and society of its peace.

The setting of the tragedy—Coan Park—only deepens the communal wound. Parks are supposed to be safe spaces. For families with children, joggers, dog walkers, and teens meeting for pickup games, Coan Park represented an ordinary, public corner of life where one might feel, if not isolated from the world’s chaos, at least momentarily buffered from its worst impulses. Saturday night shattered that illusion. As details began to emerge, many residents found themselves haunted by the knowledge that such violence could erupt in a familiar place, during a seemingly ordinary event.

In the broader context of Atlanta’s crime statistics, the double homicide at Coan Park adds a grim punctuation mark to a growing narrative of rising shootings and unsolved cases. While the article does not cite specific numbers, city officials and local law enforcement have repeatedly acknowledged the troubling uptick in violent crimes, particularly shootings. In many of these cases, the violence is unpredictable, erupting in public spaces, often involving young victims, and all too frequently ending with families devastated and no one held accountable. The deaths of Minnitee and Person now contribute to a broader pattern—one that authorities, activists, and policymakers have been struggling to reverse.

Still, the police have refrained from drawing early conclusions. Without suspect descriptions, weapon recovery, or witness cooperation made public, investigators are moving carefully, aware that premature assumptions could complicate future prosecution or mislead the community. However, they remain firm in their appeals for public cooperation. Tips, photos, social media posts—any of these may provide the missing pieces to a puzzle that now holds the weight of two human lives.

The emotional aftermath among those present at the scene is difficult to quantify. For individuals attending the event, witnessing the shooting would likely have induced both immediate trauma and lingering psychological distress. For residents of the surrounding area, the incident may instill new fears about safety, prompting calls for increased police presence or park surveillance. For families with children, the knowledge that a park gathering ended in a double homicide may shift routines and reshape their sense of community trust.

As of now, there has been no official word on whether the park will increase security measures or if the city plans to respond with targeted safety interventions. Still, these questions loom large. Community leaders may soon face growing demands to address not only the specific crime but the conditions that allowed it to occur: easy access to firearms, lapses in community conflict resolution, and the absence of preventive infrastructure at public events. The lack of resolution in this case only heightens the sense that more must be done—and done urgently—to prevent similar tragedies.

The ripple effects of the shooting continue to expand. In social circles linked to either victim, grief is accompanied by a search for understanding. Who would do this? Why? Was the attack targeted or random? Were the victims involved in an altercation, or were they unintended casualties? Without answers, these questions hang in the air, creating a tension that compounds the pain of loss.

In the days and weeks ahead, the investigation is likely to intensify. Forensic evidence will be reviewed, ballistics compared, and digital footprints scoured. If, as is increasingly common, the event was filmed or livestreamed by attendees, police may gain access to visual documentation that could illuminate the moments leading to the shooting. Yet for now, what remains are fragments—two names, two deaths, a shaken neighborhood, and an investigation with many unanswered threads.

It is this state of limbo that haunts cases like these. Without arrests or motive, grief must coexist with uncertainty, and mourning cannot transition to closure. The families of Justin Minnitee and Anthony Person are left to plan funerals instead of futures, to bury instead of celebrate. In the absence of justice, healing remains incomplete.

Their names—Minnitee and Person—will now be inscribed into the annals of Atlanta’s struggle with gun violence, not just as victims, but as reminders. Reminders that no public space is invulnerable, that every community must reckon with the cost of inaction, and that every shooting, no matter how briefly it captures headlines, leaves behind waves of consequence far deeper than the moment itself.

More details are expected to emerge as authorities press forward with the investigation. Until then, Atlanta mourns not only the deaths of two men, but the state of a city where such deaths occur too often, too suddenly, and too unresolved.