On a winter afternoon in Little Rock, 24-year-old Zachary Ester was found dead inside a vehicle that had struck a utility pole on the 8400 block of Labette Drive. The crash was reported around 1:00 p.m. on December 27, 2020, but investigators determined Ester had sustained a fatal gunshot wound and that the shooting occurred inside the car, which then reversed into the pole.

Ester’s death was one of four homicides across Little Rock over that holiday weekend, prompting concern from city officials about violent conflict resolution. In the weeks after the shooting, investigators pursued leads that led them out of state; on January 14, 2021, U.S. Marshals arrested 24-year-old Curtland Watson Jr. in Indianapolis in connection with Ester’s death and he awaited extradition back to Little Rock to face charges.

Did anyone in Little Rock see activity around Labette Drive on December 27, 2020, or have information about the events that led to Zachary Ester being shot?