On a Friday evening in early February 2024, 20-year-old Lem Johnny Johnson IV, known by the nickname “BB Mud,” was fatally shot inside a Family Dollar store on Riverdale Road in Clayton County, Georgia. Johnson, a male rapper, had been dropped off at the store by his mother just moments before the incident occurred. Another individual entered the store and shot Johnson multiple times before fleeing the scene in a dark-colored SUV.
First responders found Johnson lying on the floor of the store with several gunshot wounds.
After a months-long investigation, authorities identified Montevious Garrison as the primary suspect in Johnson's death and placed him on Clayton County's Top 10 Most Wanted List. On June 6, 2024, police in the city of Newnan responded to a report of a suspicious person and found Garrison, who was then 20 years old. He was taken into custody after they discovered he was in possession of a gun that had been illegally modified with a switch.
Garrison was initially held in the Coweta County Jail on a charge of possession of a sawed-off weapon and was awaiting extradition to Clayton County to face charges related to Johnson's death. The charges filed against him in Clayton County include murder during the commission of a felony, aggravated assault, possession of a firearm, and reckless conduct.
In the wake of her son's death, Johnson's mother, Sheila Brooks, filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Family Dollar. The lawsuit alleges that the company was aware of the risks of criminal activity at that particular store but failed to provide adequate security measures to ensure the safety of its customers, which they claim led to Johnson's death. The family's attorney stated that the store had a history of criminal incidents, including burglary attempts, thefts, and aggravated assaults.
