James Lamont Stephens, a 32-year-old African American man, was shot and killed on November 7, 2018, around 9:30 p.m. on the 3000 block of Gilmer Avenue in Winston-Salem, a location noted for large outdoor gatherings. Officers found several people standing outside near his body; no one at the scene admitted to witnessing the shooting, though one person said they heard a single gunshot and saw several people run away. An autopsy found a single gunshot wound to the left temple and cocaine in his system.

Investigators traced an anonymous Crimestoppers tip naming someone known as KP and alleging help in hiding the gun to 27-year-old Kenyana Jaquan Lowery, who was arrested January 17, 2019, at 510 Shamel Court and charged with murder. A second person admitted being present, said Lowery exited a truck and fatally shot Stephens, and led officers to a backyard on the 3600 block of Cornell Boulevard where the handgun was recovered. On the same day, 36-year-old Latasha Jeanette Hardy was arrested and charged with accessory before and after the fact.

Lowery reportedly admitted in an interview that he shot Stephens, saying Stephens had beaten him earlier and had threatened him. Stephens was also a suspect in several armed robberies at the time of his death. Does anyone have information about that night or the people who were at Gilmer Avenue?