On the morning of March 7, 2018, Donald Donnie Hughes, 69, was killed while opening the City Grill Café in Hurtsboro, Alabama. The café owner was serving breakfast when a local man, 64-year-old Walter Frank Thomas, entered carrying a .22 caliber rifle, called out for Hughes, and opened fire. Hughes was fatally wounded at the scene.

The shooting also wounded three other people; one of those victims, 74-year-old John Williams, later died from his injuries. After the attack Thomas returned to his nearby residence. Law enforcement surrounded the home and, following a brief standoff during which officers made phone contact, Thomas surrendered and was taken into custody.

Thomas was charged with one count of murder and three counts of attempted murder and was later indicted by a grand jury on capital murder charges. If anyone knew Donnie Hughes, his routines, or has information about that morning, please share what you remember.