On Christmas Eve of 2024, a shopping trip to a Family Dollar in East Point, a suburb of Atlanta, Georgia, turned fatal for 34-year-old Scott Melton. An argument with a security guard escalated into a violent chase that ended with Melton being shot and killed. The man, a husband and soon-to-be father of twins, was pronounced dead at the scene from a gunshot wound.
The security guard, identified as 36-year-old Justin Rashaad Hodges, was not an official employee of the Family Dollar.
He had been hired 'under the table' by his girlfriend, who was the manager of the store. Following the altercation, Hodges, who stands at an imposing 6-foot-7, was captured on surveillance video chasing Melton through the store and into the parking lot. The footage reportedly shows Hodges striking Melton with a handgun before fatally shooting him.
Immediately after the shooting, Hodges fled the scene, sparking a months-long manhunt. Law enforcement officials offered a reward of up to $10,000 for information leading to his capture. During the investigation, Hodges' girlfriend was arrested and charged with obstruction after allegedly lying to detectives about her communication with him while he was a fugitive. In September 2025, after being on the run for months, Justin Hodges was apprehended by U.S. Marshals. He was booked into the Fulton County Jail and charged with murder, aggravated assault, battery, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony. In a subsequent court appearance, a judge denied Hodges' bond, and he is now awaiting trial for the murder of Scott Melton.
