In the early hours of a Saturday in May 2025, 37-year-old Lamarcus Bell was shot and killed at the Oak Tree club in the small community of Coatopa in Sumter County, Alabama. The shooting occurred about 3:30 a.m. during a dispute at the club; Bell and another man, 35-year-old Tristan Clark, were both pronounced dead from gunshot injuries at the scene.

A suspect was identified and detained at the scene. Christopher Hinton, 29, of Faunsdale, was booked into the Sumter County Jail and by the following Monday had been charged with capital murder in connection with the deaths of Bell and Clark.

What did readers in the area see or hear that night, and does anyone have information that could help clarify how the dispute escalated to deadly gunfire?