Robert L. Gilmore, a 41-year-old African American man, was shot and killed on November 13, 2017, in Madison, Illinois. Police responded at about 7:05 PM to reports of shots fired near Washington Street and 4th Street and found Gilmore inside a vehicle; investigators say he was shot six times while driving through a residential neighborhood in Monroe, Illinois.

Court testimony later described a dispute between Gilmore and Kevin D. Gardner over a debt tied to a business arrangement identified as selling heroin. Evidence presented at trial included a Major Case Squad investigation and a recorded interview in which Gardner admitted to lying; jurors rejected Gardner’s claim of self-defense and found him guilty of Gilmore’s murder.

Gardner was charged with two counts of first-degree murder and unlawful possession of a weapon by a felon. If anyone knew Gilmore or has information about the events that led to his death, please come forward.