In the spring of 1992, a single act of gang violence on Detroit’s east side left four people dead. On May 12, 26-year-old Alfred Austin was shot on a porch days before he was due to face federal weapons charges; prosecutors say the attack was meant to prevent his testimony against the Best Friends gang. Reginald Brown, known as Rockin Reggie, is identified as the man sent to carry out the slaying. He reportedly opened fire with an automatic weapon, killing Austin and three bystanders caught in the spray.

An arrest warrant for Brown charged him with four counts of first-degree murder. He was captured in Manhattan about 13 months later and returned to Detroit. Prosecutors considered the death penalty but did not pursue it; after trial Brown was convicted in the killings and received four life sentences. His brother Terrance Boogaloo Brown, also accused of ordering hits on informants, was killed in a separate drug-related incident before he could be tried.

If anyone knew Alfred Austin or was on that porch that day, please share what you remember.