On Mother’s Day, May 8, 1994, 19-year-old Mario Valentino Tino Brooks was shot at the Family Barbecue Social Club just outside Tatums. A fight at the gathering escalated and a gun was fired into the crowd; four people were wounded and Tino suffered a fatal gunshot to his abdomen. His brother Corey and friends rushed him to Healdton Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Tino left behind a three-year-old son and was remembered as a prank-loving athlete from Duncan High School who was well-liked by peers.

Investigators identified three male suspects aged about 21 to 24 after the shooting, but no charges were filed. Authorities said witness noncooperation at the club hindered the inquiry and the case grew cold. A new tip was reported to the Carter County Sheriff’s Office in 2019, but no arrests have followed and the murder remains unsolved.

Did anyone who was at the Family Barbecue Social Club that night or who knew Tino come forward with information that could help bring closure?