On the evening of March 2, 2022, 19-year-old Alijah William Watts was killed during a planned robbery at a Casey’s General Store on Fort Campbell Boulevard in Hopkinsville, Kentucky. Watts, a former standout basketball player at Hopkinsville High School, was lured to the store as part of a scheme arranged by 20-year-old Christian McKeel, who brought two teenagers, 16-year-old Joshua Cotton and 17-year-old Jonathan Weston. During a struggle, Cotton fired a gun that struck Watts in the abdomen. Watts then drove away but crashed into a house on East 21st Street; he was taken to Tennova Healthcare in Clarksville, where he died of his injuries.

Police arrested the three suspects shortly after the shooting. Cotton was identified as the shooter and charged with murder. McKeel was charged with complicity to murder and second-degree robbery for orchestrating the meeting. Weston faced charges of facilitation to first-degree assault and first-degree wanton endangerment. Later court proceedings resulted in convictions and prison sentences for all three defendants.

If anyone knew Alijah, his routines, or saw activity around the Casey’s on Fort Campbell Boulevard that evening, please share what might help clarify what happened.