On the afternoon of January 3, 2016, 25-year-old Brandon Michael Gordon was found behind a residence on Beech Street in east Columbus, Mississippi, after calling 911 for help. He had been shot — investigators say the initial shooting took place on Florence Street and Gordon ran to the backyard, where emergency responders used his cell phone signal to locate him. He was taken to Baptist Memorial Hospital-Golden Triangle and later died of at least one gunshot wound.

A suspect was arrested the next day. Leronn Klayshay Gregory, 24 at the time, was taken into custody on Florence Street on January 4, 2016, and charged with Gordon’s murder; a judge set bond at one million dollars. Investigators later said the shooting stemmed from a dispute over text messages sent by Gregory to a member of Gordon’s family. In May 2018 Gregory pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and received a 40-year sentence with 10 years suspended, leaving 30 years in prison and five years of probation.

Did anyone in Columbus recognize signs of escalating conflict in the weeks before January 3, 2016?