Rev. Allen H. Smith, an 80-year-old retired Baptist minister, was fatally shot on September 5, 2016, outside the Senior Suites of Rainbow Beach in Chicago. Smith, who had lived at the senior home for about a decade and led prayer services there, was found unconscious in the 2800 block of East 77th Place and pronounced dead at the scene.

Police say the suspect was a fellow retired preacher identified as Ted Merchant, 67, who used a motorized wheelchair. Neighbors reported hearing gunshots around 1 a.m. after a heated argument over religious matters between the two men; witnesses described a history of frequent clashes alongside periods of friendly contact. Merchant was apprehended three blocks from the scene and charged with first-degree murder; the shooting was recorded on camera.

Smith earned a Master of Divinity degree from Yale University and had served as senior pastor at First Baptist Church in Gary, Indiana, until retiring in 1994. Does anyone who knew either man or who witnessed the early-morning incident have information to share?