In the early morning hours of October 5, 2020, a domestic incident in Lawrenceville, Georgia, tragically cut short the life of 24-year-old Brandon Ricks. The Gwinnett County Police were dispatched to a residence on Wheylon Drive around 3 a.m. after a woman called 911 to report that multiple people had been shot. Upon their arrival, officers discovered Ricks deceased in front of the home from at least one gunshot wound.
Inside the residence, police found a woman who had also sustained a
gunshot wound. Her injuries were determined to be non-life-threatening. Investigators quickly identified a suspect who was still at the scene when law enforcement arrived. The suspect, 29-year-old Justin Kattar of Stockbridge, surrendered to police without incident. Authorities believe the shooting was the result of a domestic dispute and that all individuals involved were known to each other.
Further investigation revealed that a child had witnessed the fatal shooting. Consequently, in addition to being charged with felony murder and two counts of aggravated assault for the shooting of Ricks and the female victim, Kattar also faced a charge of cruelty to children in the second degree. Following his arrest, Justin Kattar was booked into the Gwinnett County Jail where he was held without bond.
