Willie Tillman, 19, was shot and killed on the afternoon of April 29, 2025, in a Springdale home on Wayland Avenue. Friends described him as outgoing, down-to-earth, and funny; he had worked at Sonic and attended Lee Senior High School in Marianna, Arkansas. The shooting occurred about 2:48 p.m. after 20-year-old Ashton Balentine Jr. of Rogers reportedly entered the house through an unlocked front door, passed one bedroom, forced entry into a second bedroom and began shooting after finding his ex-girlfriend with Tillman.

Witnesses reported hearing many gunshots. Officers found two people with gunshot wounds; Tillman was declared dead at the scene and the female victim was taken to a hospital. A child was in a crib in the room where the shooting happened. The firearm was identified as a Glock 17 modified with a Glock Switch to fire fully automatically. Balentine fled but later turned himself in and was arrested on charges including capital murder, attempted capital murder, aggravated residential burglary, perpetrating a crime with a machine gun, and first-degree endangering the welfare of a minor. He pleaded not guilty and was ordered held without bond; the trial date was later postponed while crime lab reports were pending.

If anyone knew Willie, the woman involved, or saw activity on Wayland Avenue that afternoon, please share what was seen or heard.