On the evening of July 21, 2016, James Patton, a 41-year-old Black or African American man, was shot multiple times in the parking lot behind a convenience store in the 1400 block of East Ovid Avenue in Des Moines, Iowa. He was on his way to his mother’s 68th birthday party when police and rescue personnel arrived and he was pronounced dead at the scene.

Investigators focused on 28-year-old Steven Asbury, also known as Kidd Wayne, after learning Patton had been dating Asbury’s ex-girlfriend and that the two men had an escalating conflict in the days before the shooting. Prosecutors say threatening text messages from Asbury included a message asking the ex-girlfriend if she wanted him to shoot Patton, and that a maroon Ford F-150 seen fleeing the scene matched Asbury’s vehicle. Asbury was later located in Wichita, Kansas, and returned to Iowa to face charges.

Family described Patton as a talented artist and a self-taught auto body repair specialist who enjoyed spending time with loved ones. Does anyone who knew James or who was in that area on July 21, 2016 have information that hasn’t been shared with investigators?