On October 16, 1981, five men were killed in an auto parts store in Allen, Kentucky, when 70-year-old William Okie Bevins opened fire. Among the dead was 28-year-old co-owner Michael Joe Halbert. The others killed were Jarvey Hamilton, 27; Roger Dale Click, 28; Roger Hatfield, 34; and Rufus Hamilton, 42.

Investigators concluded Bevins’ primary target had been Roger Click, with the motive tied to a dispute involving Click’s wife. Eyewitnesses said Bevins and Click had argued shortly before the shooting; Halbert and the other victims were described as collateral damage. Bevins fled but was later found at his home and arrested; the weapon was recovered from a well on his property. He initially pleaded not guilty, then changed his plea to guilty and was sentenced to death, a sentence later commuted to life in prison under a Supreme Court ruling. Bevins later died in custody.

Does anyone have memories of the store or the men who were killed that day, or new information about Michael Joe Halbert’s life and role at the business?