An Indianapolis restaurant owner who gave free meals to the poor has been shot dead. George Barnett Nelson Sr. ran Pa & Ma’s Backyard BBQ and was beloved by his community. The 56-year-old moved to Indianapolis from Evansville in 1995 and began his catering career by selling plates of food from his house. He was shot outside his restaurant on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Street during an argument over money. He died hours later in hospital.
Mr. Nelson’s daughter Brockelle told reporters that her father hired a man to do some building renovation work at the restaurant and agreed to pay half in advance and the other half after the work was completed. She said the hired worker later sent text messages saying he wanted all of the cash up front, which Nelson rejected.
According to Brockelle Nelson’s account, the renovator turned up at the restaurant demanding the total payment. “They got into a little scuffle, and the dude pulled out a gun and shot my dad three times in the chest,” she stated. The young woman, who lives in Washington, DC, described the moment she received a phone call from her brother, who relayed the worst news she had ever received. Immediately departing for Indianapolis, the restauranteur’s daughter was greeted by well-wishers at Pa & Ma’s Backyard BBQ. The family opened the restaurant and handed out food, saying he would have wanted it.
Police have arrested one man in connection with the killing.
Tributes to the restauranteur poured onto social media, with many people calling him a pillar of the community. Indianapolis residents recounted occasions on which he gave them free meals when they were down on their luck and would “never turn a hungry person away.”
The day after the shooting, people who knew Mr. Nelson laid flowers outside the restaurant and spoke to journalists. “He’s a gentle, caring giant. He cared for everybody,” one woman said. The Rev. Charles Harrison of Barnes United Methodist Church also stopped by. The founder of the Indianapolis TenPoint Coalition described Nelson as a good man who was committed to helping the local community.
