Willie Smith, a 56-year-old African American man, was shot to death in Chicago on January 8, 2014. He was found with multiple gunshot wounds in a neighborhood described as having high crime rates. Police treated the circumstances as suspicious and opened a full investigation.

Investigators identified several suspects and reported that Smith had been in a dispute with local gang members that is believed to have escalated to the fatal shooting. Two individuals, both described as affiliates of a local gang, were arrested and charged with first-degree murder. At trial the prosecution presented eyewitness testimony and forensic evidence; one defendant was convicted and received life without parole, while the other was acquitted for lack of sufficient evidence.

The case drew attention to gang violence and its toll on families. If anyone knew Willie Smith, his movements that night, or has information about the dispute that preceded the shooting, please share what is known.