Justin Anderson, a 32-year-old Black male, was tragically killed on the night of February 3, 2019, while at an adult skate night at Skateland in Indianapolis, Indiana. Known affectionately as 'Scatter' to his loved ones, Anderson was in the parking lot of the skating rink when a dispute among another family escalated into violence. Though not involved in the initial conflict, he became an unintended victim of the ensuing gunfire.
The altercation that led to the fatal shooting was
reportedly rooted in an ongoing family disagreement over the custody of a child. As the argument spilled out into the parking lot, a 19-year-old named Damon Lewis Jr. fired a gun from the passenger side of a car. In a final act of selflessness, Justin Anderson pushed his fiancée out of the path of the bullet, saving her life but sacrificing his own. He was shot in the back and pronounced dead at the scene.
In the days following the shooting, Damon Lewis Jr. and the individual driving the getaway car turned themselves in to the authorities. Lewis confessed to being the shooter and was subsequently arrested and charged with murder. The investigation revealed that the incident was the unfortunate culmination of a domestic dispute that had no connection to Anderson. His death was a devastating blow to his family, who remembered him as a hero and sought justice for his senseless killing.
