Khalifa Hicks, 47, was shot and killed on January 2, 2012, in the West Garfield Park neighborhood of Chicago. The slaying is recorded in the city’s public safety databases as one of the earliest homicides of 2012 and occurred in an area long affected by violent crime and socioeconomic challenges.

Reports indicate the shooting appeared to be targeted and there are suggestions it may have been connected to gang activity; the case is discussed against the wider backdrop of a year that saw more than 500 homicides citywide. Hicks’ death is presented as part of the larger problem of violence in neighborhoods where poverty, limited resources, and organized conflict have contributed to frequent lethal incidents.

Did anyone in West Garfield Park see or hear something the night of January 2, 2012, that could help explain what happened to Khalifa Hicks?