Gerald Westry, a 40-year-old Black man, was shot and killed inside the Family Dollar at 1300 Spring Hill Avenue near North Ann Street in Mobile, Alabama, on the night of February 9, 2016. The shooting occurred around 9 p.m. on Fat Tuesday after Mardi Gras crowds had thinned. Surveillance video reportedly shows an argument between two men inside the store that escalated until Westry was shot multiple times. Police said the incident did not appear to be a typical robbery: no money was reported taken and the shots were not at the cash register.

On February 11 police arrested 20-year-old Ashton Garner and charged him with murder; investigators said surveillance footage tied him to the shooting and that Garner and Westry had lived together, though the nature of their relationship was not clear. Bond was set at $100,000 with a cash requirement, and the defense raised concerns about Garner’s mental health as he remained jailed awaiting further court proceedings. Does anyone have information about the relationship between Westry and Garner or about the moments leading up to the confrontation?