Arthur B. Cole, known as Bj, was shot during an attack on a residence on Frances Street in Mound Bayou, Mississippi, and died of his wounds on September 24, 2023. Authorities say the late-evening incident involved intense gunfire; investigators found more than 40 shell casings at the scene and a vehicle at a nearby apartment complex was also struck.

The Mound Bayou Police Department and the Bolivar County Sheriff’s Office led the investigation. A 22-year-old man from Cleveland, Tafaris Townsend, was arrested and charged with shooting into an occupied dwelling and held on a $50,000 bond. Detectives named a second suspect, 21-year-old Tailan Lewis of Beulah, and asked the public for information about his whereabouts.

Who in Mound Bayou or nearby communities might have seen or heard anything the night of the shooting?