In the early hours of a spring morning in Garrison, Kentucky, a tense confrontation ended in tragedy, leaving one man dead and four others wounded. Bryan Biggs, a 37-year-old male from West Portsmouth, Ohio, was fatally shot on May 13, 2020. The incident unfolded around 12:28 a.m. at a residence on Kinney Road, where Biggs and four associates had gone to repossess a 2004 Chevy Silverado.
An altercation at the home escalated dramatically when the homeowner, 47-year-old Michael Justice, opened fire on the group.
Biggs was pronounced dead at the scene by the Lewis County Coroner. The four other individuals who accompanied him, identified as Thompson Biggs-Cox, Aaron Cottrell, Bonnie Dalton, and Kari Biggs, also sustained gunshot wounds. Three of them were transported to area hospitals for treatment, while one refused medical attention at the scene. The shooting prompted an immediate investigation by the Kentucky State Police, who were called to the scene to piece together the events that led to the deadly encounter.
In the immediate aftermath, Michael Justice was taken into custody and faced serious charges, including one count of murder and four counts of first-degree assault. He was lodged in the Lewis County Detention Center. However, the legal proceedings took a significant turn the following month. In June 2020, a Lewis County grand jury reviewed the evidence presented in the case and declined to return an indictment against Justice. Following the grand jury's decision, which indicated insufficient evidence to proceed with the charges, Justice was released from custody. The case left the family of Bryan Biggs seeking further answers and grappling with the unresolved circumstances surrounding his death.
