It was just another Saturday night in the Park Hill neighborhood until a single act of violence changed everything. The sound of a gunshot near the 1300 block of Dixie Highway around 9:30 p.m. didn't just break the evening's calm; it shattered a life. When Louisville Metro Police officers rushed to the scene, they found a man lying in a parking lot, wounded and alone.
That man was 53-year-old Anthony Beals. First responders worked fast, rushing him to a nearby hospital. But the injuries from that night were just too severe. Police initially described them as critical and life-threatening. Tragically, Beals later succumbed to those wounds, a fact confirmed by the Jefferson County Coroner’s Office. What began as a report of a shooting became Louisville’s latest homicide.
Now, Beals is more than a case number. He was a man with five decades of life behind him—a son, possibly a father, a friend to someone. His sudden death in a public parking lot has left a hole in his community and an unanswered question hanging over Park Hill: why? The quiet routine of a weekend was stolen from him in the most final way imaginable.
As of now, Louisville Metro Police Department’s Homicide Unit has no one in custody. They’re scouring for clues, piecing together the moments that led to the gunfire. The silence from potential witnesses is the biggest barrier. Detectives know someone saw something, heard something, or knows something that could make all the difference.
So they’re making a direct, urgent appeal to the public. If you have any information, no matter how small or insignificant it may seem, you need to come forward. You can call the completely anonymous police tip line at 502-574-5673. If you’d rather not speak, you can submit a tip online through the LMPD Crime Tip Portal. Your voice could be the one that brings a measure of peace to Anthony Beals’ family.
This isn't just about solving a crime. It's about a neighborhood’s sense of safety. Park Hill residents are left to grapple with the fear that violence can erupt so close to home, and the grief for a neighbor whose story ended too soon on a patch of asphalt. Every unsolved case erodes trust and leaves a community looking over its shoulder.
For Anthony Beals’ loved ones, the investigation is a race against time for answers they desperately need to begin healing. For Louisville, it’s another reminder of the human cost of gun violence. A man is gone, and until someone speaks up, the person responsible remains out there in the night.
