Shortly before 2 a.m. on May 3, 2023, Springfield police were called to the 2304 block of North National Avenue after gunfire. Officers found 42-year-old Jimmie E. Johnson III in the backyard with a gunshot wound. He was taken to a hospital but died of his injuries.

Detectives treated the incident as an altercation between people who knew one another rather than a random attack; neighbors reported hearing an argument followed by multiple gunshots. Within days investigators arrested two men in connection with the case. On May 3 police arrested 22-year-old Payne R. Morse; he was later charged with Felon in Possession of a Firearm and Tampering with Evidence and held on a $50,000 bond. On May 4 authorities arrested 23-year-old Ronald L. Curnow, who was charged with First-Degree Murder and Felon in Possession of a Firearm and held without bond.

Did anyone in Springfield recognize Jimmie’s name or remember unusual activity on North National Avenue that night?