Edson Edward Jones, 56, was shot and killed in the parking lot of the Beech Street Apartments in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, on March 13, 2021. Police responded to a call at about 2:24 p.m. and found Jones near the back of the lot with apparent gunshot wounds; he was pronounced dead at the scene. He was the city’s fourth homicide victim of the year.

Detectives identified 22-year-old Robert Moore Thomas as the primary suspect and he was arrested and charged with first-degree murder; he was held at the Jefferson County jail as the legal process began. The motive for the verbal argument that allegedly escalated to the shooting has not been released. Jones’s son, Lamound Randle, urged young people to stop the violence and said he forgave the accused while preparing for his father’s funeral the following Saturday in Pine Bluff.

If anyone knew Edson Jones, witnessed the incident, or has information about what led to the argument, please share what you know.