Richard Cozart Jr, 20, was shot and killed on the evening of January 18, 2017, while a passenger in a friend’s car turning onto Erni Avenue in New Albany, Indiana. An assailant in another vehicle opened fire in what was described as an ambush; a friend in the car heard Cozart say he was hit and rushed him toward the hospital, but he died of a gunshot wound before arrival. Authorities treated the city’s first homicide of the year as connected to a dispute possibly involving drugs or money rather than a random attack. Cozart’s family described him as a big-hearted jokester who struggled with drugs and believed he was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Within weeks investigators identified Deante Williams of Louisville as the primary suspect and obtained a murder arrest warrant. Williams was arrested with assistance from LMPD and the U.S. Marshals. The case moved through the courts amid witness recantations and defense claims the shooter meant only to fire at the car’s tires; Williams later pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and received a 15-year sentence. Does anyone have information about that night on Erni Avenue or knew Richard and can help fill gaps in the timeline?