Branden Denson, a 32-year-old male, was fatally shot in Columbus, Georgia on April 6, 2018. Known in the music world as the rapper Billion Dollar BD, Denson was shot three times in the back while he was seated in the driver's seat of his Jeep Wrangler. The incident took place in the parking lot of a Pizza Hut on Buena Vista Road. Denson had reportedly told his father he was meeting a man at the location and had a suitcase containing a significant amount of marijuana with him.
The motive
for the shooting appears to have been a robbery planned to steal the suitcase and its contents. The suitcase was never recovered. Surveillance footage from a nearby business captured the entire incident on video. An investigation into Denson's death led to the identification of multiple suspects.
Authorities have charged five men in connection with the deadly robbery. Among them are Johnathon Lemorris Swift and Tommie Jamal Mullins, an aspiring rap artist who police believe orchestrated the robbery. Swift was arrested in Clayton County in February 2019 after fleeing and was wanted on charges of murder and armed robbery. Another man, Dover Coppins, entered a plea of not guilty, with his defense attorney asserting that Coppins was not present at the scene of the crime and did not know the victim.
