Jaylin Jones, a 25-year-old African American man, was shot and killed on May 12, 2018, at about 10:30 p.m. during a Mother’s Day cookout in a residential area of Henderson, North Carolina. The gathering had been organized by Tau Strong, who had invited Jones; he was the father of her stillborn child. An argument erupted between Jones and Strong’s live-in boyfriend, 21-year-old Scottie Lee Bates II, and Bates, described as reportedly intoxicated and upset, shot Jones. Jones died at the scene while witnesses ran in panic after the gunfire.

After the shooting, police arrested Bates II and his father, 59-year-old Scottie Lee Bates; both were charged with murder and held without bond. Reports identify the younger Bates as the gunman. The two men and the violent confrontation at a family event left the Henderson community shocked and grieving.

Did anyone at the cookout or in the neighborhood see what led to the argument or have information about the moments before the shooting?