Albert Reddick

Albert Reddick was an 18-year-old Black man from Benton, Arkansas, with a promising future. He had graduated from high school just 41 days before his death and had already signed up for college. An aspiring boxer, Albert worked out every day, a discipline his mother, Jasmine Reddick, believed he used to ground himself and stay out of trouble. He was her first-born child and a big brother to six younger siblings. His mother described the pain of going home to his empty room and the difficulty of breaking the news to his siblings, who ranged in age from 13 years to just four months old. His sudden death, she said, "left our hearts black."

In the early morning hours of June 28, 2021, that future was cut short in North Little Rock. At approximately 1:29 a.m., police officers were dispatched to the area of 16th and Chandler streets in response to a call about shots being fired. When they arrived, they discovered Albert suffering from a gunshot wound. He was pronounced deceased at the scene. His mother later said she was not sure why her son was in that area that night and that he had not answered his phone when she tried to call him.

Detectives with the North Little Rock Police Department immediately launched a homicide investigation. As they processed the scene and conducted interviews, Albert's family, along with community activists from the Arkansas Stop The Violence movement, held a news conference to plead with the public for information. "I want to ask the community who knows who did this to Albert?" said Rev. Benny Johnson. "If you're withholding information, you're just as guilty as the perpetrator." Jasmine Reddick spoke of her son's stolen potential, stating, "An 18-year-old is just a baby."

The investigation led to a significant development several weeks later. On the evening of August 12, 2021, detectives arrested 18-year-old Anthony Brown of North Little Rock. He was charged with one count of Capital Murder in connection with Albert's death. The case was later resolved when Anthony Brown pleaded guilty to the shooting death of Albert Reddick. He was sentenced to serve 40 years in prison.