In April 2015, a 50-year-old man, Gary Mincy, was fatally shot in what authorities described as a drug deal that escalated into an attempted robbery. The incident occurred around 9 p.m. in the parking lot of Henry's Pack-a-Sack, a convenience store on Joseph E. Boone Boulevard in northwest Atlanta. Mincy was inside his car when he was approached by a man later identified as 25-year-old Jabri Mathis.
The interaction between the two men, which was captured by the store's surveillance
cameras, reportedly involved a discussion about a potential drug transaction. At some point during their exchange, Mathis opened the driver's side door of Mincy's vehicle and brandished a 9mm handgun, pointing it at Mincy's chest in an attempt to rob him. In a desperate bid to escape, Mincy put his car in reverse and tried to drive away. It was at this moment that Mathis fired his weapon, striking Mincy in the neck and chest. The gunshot wounds proved fatal, and Mincy died at the scene. After the shooting, Mathis fled the scene in a Ford Fusion with an unknown driver.
The investigation into Mincy's death took a surprising turn the following month with the arrest of an Atlanta police officer. Officer Tommy Williams was charged with hindering the apprehension of a criminal, obstruction of an officer, and violation of his oath of public office for allegedly helping Mathis evade capture. During an attempt by fugitive units to arrest Mathis at a house on James P. Brawley Drive, Williams was accused of allowing Mathis to escape through a window. Mathis was apprehended after a brief chase that same day. It was later revealed that Williams had a personal connection to Mathis, as he was reportedly dating the sister of Mathis's girlfriend.
In March 2019, Jabri Mathis pleaded guilty to charges of murder and aggravated assault in the death of Gary Mincy. He was sentenced to 30 years in prison without the possibility of parole. Following his prison term, Mathis will be on probation for the rest of his life. The case against former officer Tommy Williams was still pending at the time of Mathis's sentencing.
