Matthew Allen Hicks Sr., 42, was found shot in the head outside his girlfriend’s house on the 400 block of Fairgrounds Drive in Vallejo, California, shortly before 12:50 a.m. on February 8, 2010. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Hicks worked as a forklift operator and is remembered by family and community for his humor and love of sports; he is survived by children, siblings, and extended relatives.

The killing has a possible link to other local violence that week. Days before Hicks was killed he went to the Vallejo police station demanding to know why his 17-year-old son was being questioned about the beating of a city worker, an attack that left the worker seriously injured. That son was later arrested in the beating. Family members believe the two events were unrelated, but police said they were investigating whether a connection existed.

No arrests have been announced and the Vallejo Police Department continues to seek information and leads. Did anyone in Vallejo see or hear anything around Fairgrounds Drive that night, or know more about tensions affecting the family in early February 2010?