Roy Lee Jones, a 25-year-old African American man, died on December 30, 1991, in Cairo, Illinois, after being shot during a confrontation with Cairo police officer John McDonald. The shooting occurred in a grocery store parking lot during a physical altercation; McDonald fired 14 shots with his service weapon, and the final bullet struck and killed Jones. Witnesses and trial evidence were presented that Jones was unarmed at the time McDonald fired, while McDonald testified he shot after Jones attempted to hit him with a fist.

The case drew intense attention amid heightened national tension over race and policing. McDonald was charged with second-degree murder and aggravated battery; his trial was moved to Marion, Illinois. In June 1992 a jury convicted McDonald of second-degree murder and aggravated battery, and Alexander County Judge Stephen Spomer sentenced him to 10 years, saying the shooting was not intentional but resulted from unfortunate circumstances. The shooting prompted local efforts to address race relations and police integration.

Did anyone in Cairo at the time witness the incident or the tensions that followed and have details to add?