Xavier Smith Jr. was 28 when he was found dead in Shorter, Alabama, in the early hours of New Year’s Day 2022. His death was caused by gunfire, and local officials described the case as a homicide that sent the small community into shock.

Investigators from the Macon County Sheriff’s Office, working with the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, named a person of interest within days and arrested D’Angelo Smith, a 28-year-old man from Montgomery. He was charged with murder and booked into the Macon County Jail. Motive and the detailed circumstances of the shooting have not been publicly released as the case proceeds through the courts.

Does anyone in Shorter or the surrounding area remember Xavier or have information about what happened that night?