A double homicide occurred on West 17th Street in Pine Bluff on the early morning of Thursday, August 13, 2020. Police responded at 12:57 a.m. to a report of a possible shooting and found 39-year-old Christopher Gates on the front porch, dead of multiple gunshot wounds. Eighteen-year-old Charles Washington Jr. was found near the sidewalk in front of the same house; he was transported to Jefferson Regional Medical Center but died in surgery from multiple gunshot wounds.

The Pine Bluff Police Department opened an investigation and said motive was unknown. Authorities had not identified suspects and appealed for public help, offering a reward for information that would lead to arrest and conviction.

If anyone knew Charles Washington Jr., Christopher Gates, or saw activity in that West 17th Street neighborhood around midnight on August 13, 2020, contact the Pine Bluff Police Department with any information.