Develle Sprawls, 39, was fatally shot in the early morning hours of April 6, 2021, after an argument in the basement of a home in Chicago’s Austin neighborhood. The gathering was at the residence on the 5400 block of West Flournoy Street, where Sprawls had been drinking with longtime friend 37-year-old Marvin Browder. Prosecutors say the dispute escalated around 3:30 a.m. and Sprawls was shot multiple times.

A blood trail indicated Sprawls crawled up stairs into the kitchen after being wounded. He was ultimately shot 14 times, with wounds to his head and chest, and was pronounced dead at the scene. Officers found Sprawls lying in the yard, covered in blood, with a 9mm handgun in his hand that appeared to have been wiped clean. Shell casings and live ammunition were recovered in the basement, and bullet holes and shell casings were found in the kitchen.

Browder, who was uninjured, called police and was taken into custody. He initially told detectives Sprawls shot at him during a struggle and later gave inconsistent accounts about a hammer that was said to be in the basement. Browder was arrested and charged with first-degree murder; he later pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of second-degree murder and was sentenced to 20 years in prison.

Did anyone in the Austin neighborhood see or hear anything that morning that could shed more light on what happened?