On the evening of January 8, 2023, 26-year-old Kelley R. Holmes was shot and killed at a BP gas station at 4502 Indianapolis Boulevard in East Chicago, Indiana. Police responded to a call about 6:22 p.m. and found Holmes with seven gunshot wounds; he was pronounced dead at the scene. Witnesses reported a man later identified as Eihlan Hunt of Hammond approached Holmes, said he needed to talk, and the two moved toward the back of the station before 10 to 12 gunshots were heard.

Holmes, a Black man who lived in East Chicago and Hammond, was known in his community for his warm smile and kind heart and for his role at East Chicago Church. He helped start the Paying it Forwards, Warm Hearts Community Meals program that provided warm meals to the homeless on Thursday evenings.

Investigators identified Eihlan Hunt as the suspect. Hunt agreed to plead guilty but mentally ill to Holmes’s murder; under the plea he was expected to receive a 45-year sentence. Hunt’s plea covered the dismissal of a pending attempted murder charge from December 2022 and another misdemeanor, with sentencing set for December 18, 2023.

If anyone knew Kelley or has information about what happened that night, please share what can help the case.