Justin Ameer Garner was 18 and a junior at Michigan City High School when he was found dead in his vehicle on the 200 block of Elston Street on the evening of January 16, 2019. He had sustained a single gunshot wound to the head; emergency medical personnel pronounced him deceased at the scene. Garner enjoyed basketball and video games.

Investigators identified 16-year-old Javan Brown as a suspect and took him into custody within a day. A probable cause hearing resulted in a warrant for murder and Brown was booked into the La Porte County Jail. At trial Brown testified and admitted to shooting Garner, saying the shooting was accidental. The jury convicted him of reckless homicide and dangerous possession of a firearm, and the court imposed consecutive sentences totaling six and one-half years in prison. An appeal of the conviction was filed and was ultimately unsuccessful.

If anyone knew Justin or has information about the night of January 16, 2019, please come forward.