A family reunion in the Free Hope community near Magnolia, Arkansas, ended in tragedy on Friday, August 18, 2023, when 31-year-old Craig Lovell Phillips Jr was fatally shot. Phillips, who was visiting from Fayetteville, North Carolina, was pronounced dead at Magnolia Regional Medical Center.

Witnesses said Phillips was an innocent bystander who ran toward his children to protect them after a gun was drawn during an argument at the Free Hope Community Center. The dispute has been reported as involving Alando Rodreges Caldwell and another person, Kawavin Jamerson. The Columbia County Sheriff’s Office, with assistance from the Arkansas State Police, investigated the shooting, and 42-year-old Alando Rodreges Caldwell of Magnolia was arrested and charged with first-degree murder.

What can anyone who attended that reunion or the Free Hope Community Center on August 18, 2023, add about what happened that day?