On February 16, 2015, Deonte Raynell Carter, a 24-year-old Black man, was shot and killed in Burlington, Iowa, after a dispute that began over missing items and escalated following a confrontation on social media. A meeting for a physical fight near South Hill Park ended when Earl Riley Booth-Harris opened fire; Carter was struck multiple times in the upper torso, taken to a hospital, and pronounced dead. Booth-Harris was also wounded in the leg during the incident.

The investigation led police to process a black SUV for evidence and relied heavily on eyewitness testimony from Carter’s cousin, Donnell Watson, who identified Booth-Harris as the shooter. Booth-Harris, then 23, was arrested in Illinois and charged with first-degree murder. A jury found him guilty and he was sentenced to life in prison without parole; the Iowa Court of Appeals later affirmed the conviction after an appeal challenging the photographic lineup.

Did anyone in Burlington or South Hill Park that day see or hear details about the confrontation that haven’t been shared publicly?