Evereonna Sankey, a 20-year-old Black woman from Lehigh Acres and a licensed certified nursing assistant, was killed on the night of May 1, 2021, after gunfire erupted near the Brown Sugar Festival in the Harlem community of Clewiston, Florida. Deputies who were already near Harlem Academy and 12th Street heard the shots around 9:30 p.m.; Sankey was found critically wounded, received CPR on scene, but died of her injuries. Three others were wounded, including Sankey’s sister La’tresa Tillman.

Family members said they had been preparing to leave the festival when Sankey and her sisters briefly stayed behind to look for her keys; about 15 minutes later the shooting occurred. Investigators later arrested Larance De’Angelo Humphrey on charges of accessory after the fact to first-degree homicide and tampering with physical evidence after alleging he tried to interfere with evidence, including attempting to obtain surveillance footage. Authorities did not accuse him of firing the fatal shots.

By May 2022 investigators reported thousands of hours spent and more than 200 interviews, and reporting one year after the killing said the shooter had not been arrested. The family also filed a wrongful-death suit alleging negligent security. If anyone attended the Brown Sugar Festival or has information about the shooting, please share what you know.