Jeremiah Nicholas Allen was 22 and a Fort Smith resident when he suffered a fatal gunshot wound on February 14, 2021. Police were alerted about 8 p.m.; detectives were called to an area hospital and Allen died while being transported there for treatment. Authorities described the shooting as appearing to be an isolated incident with no broader threat to the public.

Investigators quickly identified a suspect and by the next day announced the arrest of 22-year-old James Michael Eugene Shoemake, who was booked on a first-degree murder charge in connection with Allen’s death. Officials did not immediately release details about what led to the shooting or the precise location, and detectives continued their work. Tributes in the days after noted Allen’s roots in Fort Smith and marked the loss of a young man whose life ended abruptly on Valentine’s Day.

Did anyone in the Fort Smith area know Jeremiah or have information about the evening of February 14, 2021?