Lonnie Level Smith, a 28-year-old African American man, was shot and killed on May 17, 2017, in the parking lot of Oakdale Homes in Clarkton, North Carolina. The Bladen County Sheriff’s Office reports the shooting occurred about 6 p.m.; Smith was taken to Cape Fear Valley Bladen County Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The cause of the initial altercation that led to the shooting is not stated.

Authorities identified 47-year-old Harold Eugene Swindell of Clarkton as a suspect. Swindell turned himself in on the morning of May 20, 2017, and was charged with first-degree murder and felony possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. He made his first court appearance on May 22, 2017, before Judge William Fairley. Investigators said a group was involved in a physical altercation during which a weapon was discharged and struck Smith.

Did anyone who knew Lonnie Smith or who was in Oakdale Homes that evening see what happened or have additional information to share?