Sandy Springs apartment shooting leaves one dead, brother sought by police

Witnesses say 29-year-old Justin Tucker was on his knees, pleading for his life, when gunfire erupted in the parking lot of a Sandy Springs apartment complex, turning an ordinary evening into a homicide scene that shut residents out of their homes for hours.

Sandy Springs police said the shooting happened around 8:20 p.m. on April 14, 2026, at the Hudson Northridge apartments, 550 Northridge Parkway, in Fulton County. Medics pronounced Tucker dead at the scene. Police later arrested 26-year-old Derrick Washington and said they are still looking for his 20-year-old brother, Mason Washington.

Investigators have said the brothers and Tucker all lived at the complex, a detail that sharpened the fear inside the neighborhood. Residents described hearing a loud bang and then seeing a body in the parking lot. One tenant said it was the first dead body he had ever seen, a moment that left the complex feeling far less safe than before.

Police say the case moved quickly because witness statements helped identify the brothers. WSB Radio reported that both men now face felony murder, malice murder, aggravated assault, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony. Arrest warrants reportedly say Derrick Washington told officers he believed Tucker had a gun and acted in self-defense, but those same records say Tucker was unarmed.

The clearest account of the final moments came from a witness who spoke to investigators and said Tucker had called earlier, asking the driver to hurry because he was arguing with “some guys.” According to that account, Tucker was trying to catch an Uber and was shot just as the vehicle arrived. The witness said Tucker crouched behind a car with his hands up, saying “please, please,” before multiple shots were fired. That witness also described one suspect carrying a larger gun, identified as Mason Washington, and another carrying a pistol, identified as Derrick Washington.

The aftermath spread well beyond the parking lot. FOX 5 Atlanta reported that police blocked access to the apartment complex for hours while detectives processed the scene, leaving some residents unable to get into their apartments. Another resident said the shooting raised immediate worries about children living in the complex, adding that violence can happen when people least expect it.

The Sandy Springs Police Department, created in 2006 and now staffed by 154 sworn officers, continues to investigate the brothers’ roles in Tucker’s death. Anyone with information has been asked to contact Sandy Springs police as the search for Mason Washington continues.