Curtis Orlando Artis, 29, was shot and killed the night of December 8, 2021, in the East Fourth Avenue area of Williamson, a community in Mingo County. The shooting occurred around 9:00 p.m.; when authorities arrived Artis was found deceased at the scene and later identified by fingerprints.

The initial public information did not describe a confrontation, motive, or whether Artis and the shooter knew one another. Investigators with the Williamson detachment of the West Virginia State Police arrested 48-year-old Pierre Antonellio Taylor of Williamson and charged him with murder; Taylor was held at the Southwestern Regional Jail pending arraignment.

Obituary details note Artis was born in Washington, D.C., later lived in West Virginia and had interests including real estate and entertainment. Does anyone who knew Curtis or who was in Williamson that night have information that could clarify what happened?