Eric E. Williams was 25 when he was shot and killed in Chicago on March 12, 2012. His death occurred amid a sharp citywide rise in homicides that year; Chicago finished 2012 with 506 homicides, more than 70 higher than the prior year, and March alone recorded over 50 killings.

Coverage of 2012 pointed to several possible contributors to the surge in violence, including changes in police tactics, unusually warm weather that spring, and the disbanding of specialized gang units that had previously targeted high-crime neighborhoods. Williams’ killing is one of many that month that underlined the city’s struggle to balance crime reduction with community relations.

Anyone with information about Eric Williams or the March 12, 2012 shooting in Chicago is asked to come forward.