John D Kavairlook Jr., 23, was fatally shot on May 17, 2015, outside the Rock N Rodeo bar on the Old Steese Highway in Fairbanks. That night was his first outing with his wife, Shalene, since the birth of their daughter, Kinley Rae, less than a month earlier. An altercation began inside the bar after John tried to defend his wife from an unwelcome advance by one of four men. Both groups were ejected; in the parking lot a man retrieved a 9mm Glock from a silver SUV and shot John multiple times, killing him at the scene.

Witnesses and surveillance described the suspects as African-American men in their 20s or 30s who had traveled from Anchorage shortly before the shooting. Several arrests followed: Joel Roland Joseph, 26, was arrested in October 2015 and charged under an aiding or abetting theory; his brother David Joseph was arrested on hindering prosecution charges after reporting his 9mm handgun stolen. Demarius William Hinson was arrested in October 2015 on hindering prosecution charges after returning to the United States, and Patrick Dale Burton was arrested in June 2016 and charged as the alleged shooter. Two individuals believed to be involved remained unaccounted for.

Did anyone see the group that arrived from Anchorage or recognize the silver SUV that night?