In the early morning hours of Friday, December 30, 2016, a gathering at a home on Fleming Lake Court in Lincolnton, Georgia, ended in gunfire that killed 30-year-old Derrick Brandon Smith. Smith, a Lincoln County resident, served as Chief of the Loco Volunteer Fire Department. An altercation between two groups at the party preceded the shooting; Smith was shot, transported to Doctors Hospital in Augusta, and died of his injuries.

The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, with assistance from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, identified and arrested 21-year-old Samuel Bradford Gray of Warrenton and charged him with murder in connection with Smith’s death. A jury later returned a verdict of not guilty for Gray. Smith was survived by his wife and four children.

Does anyone have additional information about the night on Fleming Lake Court or knew Smith and can shed light on what happened?