In the winter of 2018, a Norcross, Georgia community was shaken by the violent death of a beloved father and friend. On the afternoon of January 14th, 42-year-old Joe Love was fatally shot multiple times inside his apartment on Rockbridge Court. Witnesses in the area reported hearing the sounds of gunfire erupting from the residence. The male victim was a well-liked figure in his neighborhood, known for his kindness and his entrepreneurial spirit, running a pressure washing business. He was a father of eight and had recently become engaged just before Christmas.
At the time of the shooting, another man was inside the apartment with Love. As the shots rang out, this individual managed to escape by breaking through a window. He sustained some cuts and bruises from his escape but was not hit by any bullets and was not considered a suspect in the case. First responders arrived to find Love deceased at the scene. His family believed the motive for the attack was robbery, as he owned expensive audio equipment with which he intended to start a small radio station.
The investigation into the homicide led Gwinnett County police to identify a person of interest the following month. In February 2019, just over a year after the shooting, an Ellenwood man named Charles Bacote was indicted on murder charges in connection with Joe Love's death. At the time he was identified as a person of interest, the 35-year-old was already incarcerated at the Gwinnett County Detention Center on an unrelated charge of aggravated assault.
