Anthony "Big Jook" Mims

Case background and investigation

Anthony Mims, known throughout the Memphis music scene as "Big Jook," was a 47-year-old music executive and the older brother of rapper and record label founder Yo Gotti. Mims held an active role with Collective Music Group (CMG), the label his brother founded, and was a familiar presence at industry events, video shoots, and label functions. On the afternoon of Saturday, January 13, 2024, Mims was attending a repass — a gathering of family and friends held after a funeral — for a relative, Eric Bovan, at Perignon's Restaurant and Event Center in the 6300 block of Winchester Road in the Hickory Hill area of Memphis.

At approximately 4:15 p.m., a Memphis police officer in the area heard multiple gunshots and found two men suffering from gunshot wounds outside the restaurant. Both were taken to a hospital, where Mims was pronounced dead; the second victim survived and was listed in stable condition. A witness at the scene told officers that suspects in a white SUV were responsible for the shooting, and police later said surveillance video showed the suspects fleeing in a white Ford Explorer with black wheels and dark tinted windows. Investigators with the Shelby County Sheriff's Office and Memphis police described the shooting as targeted, according to local news reports.

Despite the release of surveillance images of the suspect vehicle, the investigation produced no publicly identified suspects. In June 2024, five months after the killing, the Memphis Police Department told reporters, "There are no new updates at this time." At the one-year mark in January 2025, police again said no updates were available, and no arrests had been made. Yo Gotti did not publicly comment on his brother's death, and CMG declined media inquiries.

Mims's name surfaced prominently eight months after his death, during the September 2024 trial of Justin Johnson for the November 2021 murder of Memphis rapper Young Dolph, a longtime rival of Yo Gotti and CMG. Prosecutors alleged at trial that Mims had offered a $100,000 payment for the killing of Young Dolph, portraying the hit as retaliation for diss tracks aimed at Mims and the label. Mims was deceased by the time these allegations were presented in court and was never charged or tried in connection with the Dolph case; the allegations were never tested against him in any proceeding. Johnson was convicted of first-degree murder and related charges and sentenced to life in prison, while a separate defendant accused of organizing the Dolph killing was later acquitted by a jury.

Investigators have not publicly stated any motive for Mims's killing, and no connection between his death and the Young Dolph case has been established by authorities. The homicide remains unsolved. Memphis police have asked anyone with information to contact Crime Stoppers at 901-528-CASH or submit tips through crimestopmem.org.