Malcolm Cruz Jones, 27, was shot dead in the early hours of January 31, 2018, at a residence on Blackville Road in Gaston, South Carolina. He was found with a gunshot wound and pronounced dead at the scene shortly before 1 a.m. Investigators determined the shooting was not random and linked it to an altercation tied to the illegal narcotics trade.

Authorities identified Eddie Louis Bass III, an acquaintance of Jones, as the person who arrived at the residence, assaulted Jones causing blunt force injuries, and fatally shot him with a Bersa Thunder 380 handgun before fleeing. A manhunt ended with Bass’s arrest on February 14, 2018. The firearm has not been recovered.

Bass was charged with voluntary manslaughter and possession of a weapon during a violent crime, later pled guilty, and was sentenced to 28 years in prison. Family members, including Jones’s mother, spoke at the sentencing about the loss to the family and his three young children.

Did anyone in the Gaston area hear or see anything the night of January 31, 2018, that could help clarify what happened?