Robert E. Rhone, a 35-year-old African American man from Moline, Illinois, was shot and later died from his wounds after an early-morning altercation on March 4, 2022, near Hamilton Elementary School. The argument with his neighbor, 28-year-old Antwon M. Hayes, occurred on the west side of 7th Street north of 32nd Avenue shortly after 8 a.m. Rhone was taken to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries and was later pronounced dead; the Rock Island County Coroner, Brian Gustafson, identified him and ordered an autopsy.

Authorities described the confrontation as personal, not gang-related, and investigators said the two men had a history of disputes; Rhone’s family previously relocated temporarily to Texas after an earlier argument. Hayes was arrested and charged with first-degree murder and was being held in the Rock Island County Jail on $2 million bond. The shooting prompted a lockdown at the nearby elementary school as the school day began; police processed the scene and continued the investigation.

Rhone’s girlfriend of 12 years and their six children survive him; she reported he had a heart condition and was taking blood thinners. The family plans to seek counseling and to bury Rhone in Louisiana, where he was originally from.

Did anyone in the Moline area see or hear anything that morning that could help investigators?