Brian D. Jones was 20 when he was shot and killed in Chicago on April 29, 2012. His death occurred during a year that saw a sharp rise in homicides citywide; Chicago recorded 506 homicides in 2012, an increase of 71 over 2011.

Contemporaneous reporting and analysis linked the surge to several factors, including unusually warm weather that kept more people outdoors and the disbanding of specialized gang units that had focused on policing hot spots and suppressing gang-related firearms violence. Those shifts were said to have left some neighborhoods, particularly on the South and West sides, more exposed to violent crime.

Brian Jones’ killing is therefore part of a broader pattern of escalating violence that troubled the city and complicated policing strategies in 2012. If anyone knew Brian or was in that area in late April 2012, any information could help shed light on what happened.