Arthur Alton Dowell was 18 when he was shot and killed in New Orleans on Friday, May 25, 2007. A student at O. Perry Walker High School and an employee at Emeril’s restaurant, he had survived three earlier shootings before this fatal attack. Born November 5, 1988, to Lynette Dowell and Albert Sumlin, he was remembered as having turned his behavior around and as someone who tried to steer his younger brothers toward a better path. He is survived by his mother, stepfather, father, stepmother, four brothers, and his companion, Keisha Renard.

The family had endured repeated violence: Lynette Dowell reported three sons were involved in six shootings within about a one-mile area of Central City, and two of those sons were later killed. Reports from the time of Arthur’s death do not contain information about arrests or identified suspects. His homegoing celebration was held June 1, 2007, at New Home Baptist Church, and he was buried at Providence Memorial Park.

Did anyone in the New Orleans area at that time know Arthur, his family, or have information about what happened on May 25, 2007?