Clayton Desmond Batchelor Jr., known in his neighborhood as C.J., was 14 when he was shot and killed on July 4, 2012, in Henderson, North Carolina. He was riding his bike home from a friend’s house around 3:30 a.m. on the roadside in the 1300 block of South Williams Street when the shooting occurred. The community responded with shock and grief at the loss of such a young life.

The investigation led to the arrest of 20-year-old Arthur Thomas Peace Jr. of Henderson; he was charged with first-degree murder and held in the Vance County Jail without bond, with a preliminary hearing set in Vance County District Court for July 13, 2012. Authorities did not provide further details about a motive. Clayton’s death came days after another nearby shooting, heightening local concern about violence.

Did anyone who knew Clayton or who was in the area that night see or hear anything that could help explain what happened?