A year after Big Jook was murdered in Memphis, where is the investigation?

On January 13, 2024, Anthony “Big Jook” Mims was murdered in a murder-style murder outside an East Memphis restaurant.

A year later, no suspect has been identified in the shooting death and police have not released much information about the case.

In response to an inquiry from The Commercial Appeal last week, a Memphis Police Department public information officer said homicide investigators “reported that there are no updates available at this time.”

Still, there have been considerable developments in the story since 2024. Here’s where things stand.

Who was the Great Jook?

Anthony “Big Jook” Mims, 47, was the older brother of Well-known Memphis rapper and record label mogul Yo Gottialso known as Mario Mims.

Anthony Mims was active in Gotti’s record company, Collective Music Group or CMG label. It is not known what Anthony Mims’ official title with the seal was, or if he had one. But his social media accounts offered a colorful glimpse into his life and career in the music business. The various Instagram posts showed Mims at music industry events, video shoots and concerts with his brother Yo Gotti and other CMG label acts.

Mims’ last Instagram post came just one day before his death. A photo of Mims is accompanied by what, in retrospect, sounds sinister: “They don’t want to confront you, they want to trick you. Stay alert 2 stay alive watch your back at all times.”

Following The death of the great JookThe Commercial Appeal made multiple attempts to reach representatives of the CMG brand, which is associated with major label Interscope – but did not respond to requests for comment.

Yo Gotti has not spoken publicly about his brother’s death.

When and where was Big Jook murdered in Memphis?

According to the Memphis Police Department, an officer was in the area of ​​6385 Winchester Road around 4:15 p.m. on Saturday, January 13, 2024, when he heard gunshots. The officer responded to the scene and found two victims with multiple gunshot wounds, who were taken to the hospital. Anthony Mims was identified as the victim who was pronounced deceased at the hospital. A second male victim was in stable condition.

The scene of the shooting was outside the Perignon Restaurant and Event Center, where Mims was attending a rerun, following the funeral of a relative, Eric Bovan. Bovan, a notorious Memphis cocaine kingpin in the 1980s and head of the Bovan family, was a former partner of Yo Gotti and Big Jook’s aunt.

Immediately after the shooting, Memphis police said they were analyzing video from the area, but did not have a suspect identified at the time. A day later, police confirmed that a witness at the scene said suspects in a white van were responsible for the shooting. The vehicle was a white Ford Explorer with black wheels and dark tinted windows, and images of it were captured on surveillance video released by MPD.

Prosecutors allege Big Jook hit young Dolph

Last fall, in a shocking event, Shelby County prosecutors alleged that Big Jook had taken a $100,000 hit to Memphis hip-hop artist Young Dolph, resulting in his murder in 2021.

The revelation came on September 23 during opening statements in the trial of Justin Johnson for his alleged involvement in the murder of Young Dolph, real name. Adolfo Thornton Jr.

CMG did not respond to The Commercial Appeal’s requests for comment on the prosecutors’ allegations.

Shelby County Deputy Prosecutor Paul Hagerman described the alleged involvement of both Big Jook and Johnson, who goes by the stage name Straight Drop, in the November 2021 Dolph murder.

Hagerman said Johnson was invited to Atlanta by Big Jook and Hernandez Govan, the man prosecutors say. was the mastermind behind the fatal shooting of Young Dolph, to sign with the CMG music label. CMG is a rival music label to the one established by Young Dolph, Paper Route Empire. Big Jook offered Johnson the hit to sign with CMG, Hagerman alleged.

Johnson was finally convicted of killing young Dolph and was sentenced to life imprisonment.

With ongoing legal action in the Dolph case (especially recently), Johnson called for a new trialwhile Govan will be tried in July — more information may emerge about Big Jook and his alleged connection to the Dolph case.

This article originally appeared in the Memphis Commercial Appeal: Big Jook: The latest on the investigation into the death of Yo Gotti’s brother