Macon man killed Tuesday night once played basketball at Central, had a 6-year-old girl

Editor’s note: This story has been corrected to reflect that Justin Mahone is 26. He would have turned 27 next month.

A 26-year-old man was shot and killed shortly after 6:30 p.m. Tuesday in Macon, Bibb County Coroner Leon Jones said.

Justin Coby Mahone was killed in the 200 block of Riley Avenue, located off Ridge Avenue.

Arriving sheriff’s deputies responding to a 911 call of a person shot found Mahone inside his home at 213 Riley Ave., according to a Bibb County Sheriff’s Office news release. He was pronounced dead on the scene.

Mahone was a graduate of Central High School where he played basketball, said his grandmother, Ella Mahone. He also attended Georgia Southwestern State University for two years, she said.

“He was a good guy,” Mahone said. “I don’t understand it.”

Justin Mahone formerly drove a Coca-Cola truck but quit that job so he could have more time with his 6-year-old daughter, Logan, his grandmother said. He had gotten another job.

“He’s never been in any trouble,” she said. “He’s just been been a good grandson, a good son and an excellent dad and so appreciative ... He was so thankful and he didn’t just tell you. He showed you.”

Logan was with her mother when her father was killed, said Mahone, who lives nearby.

“I’m so thankful she wasn’t there ... If she had been there, she could have been shot, too,” Mahone said.

Another relative saw Justin Mahone when she’d gone by his house Tuesday morning to drop off some supplies, including sanitary wipes to protect against COVID-19 and some banana pudding, his grandmother said.

“The whole family is devastated,” Mahone said. “We’re a very involved and close family.”

So far this year, there have been 15 homicides in Macon-Bibb, Jones said, including a fatal car crash in which the 15-year-old driver who was fleeing in stolen car was charged with felony murder.

Anyone with information in reference to killing is urged to contact the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office at 478-751-7500, or Macon Regional Crimestoppers at 1-877-68CRIME.

This story was originally published April 14, 2020 at 7:39 PM.