In the early morning hours of August 13, 2020, gunfire shattered the quiet on West 17th Street in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. Officers arriving shortly before 1 a.m. found 39-year-old Christopher Gates on the front porch with multiple gunshot wounds; the Jefferson County Deputy Coroner pronounced him dead at the scene. Eighteen-year-old Charles Washington Jr. was found near the sidewalk in front of the home, also shot multiple times. He was taken to Jefferson Regional Medical Center and died during surgery.

The double killing was recorded as Pine Bluff’s 16th and 17th homicides for 2020. The Pine Bluff Police Department opened an investigation but reported no identified suspects and gave no public motive. A reward was offered for information leading to arrest and conviction, yet responsibility for the shootings has not been publicly revealed.

Did anyone in the neighborhood or with knowledge of Gates or Washington’s activities that night see or hear anything that could help explain what happened?