Friends remembered Willie Tillman as an outgoing and down-to-earth young man who was the funniest person they had ever met. Mr. Tillman, a 19-year-old Black man from Marianna, Arkansas, had worked at Sonic and attended Lee Senior High School. His life was cut short by gunfire on the afternoon of April 29, 2025, in Springdale.
The shooting happened around 2:48 p.m. at a residence on Wayland Avenue.
According to a preliminary police report, Ashton Balentine Jr., 20, of Rogers, entered the home through an unlocked front door. A witness told police he saw Balentine walk past his room, break down the door to a second bedroom, and begin shooting. Inside, Balentine had found his ex-girlfriend with Willie Tillman.
The witness reported hearing "a lot" of gunshots. When officers arrived, they found two people with gunshot wounds and began life-saving measures. Mr. Tillman was pronounced dead at the scene. The female victim, Balentine's ex-girlfriend, was transported to a local hospital for her injuries. Police noted that the woman's child was in a crib inside the room where the shooting occurred. The weapon was identified as a Glock 17 that had been illegally modified with a "Glock Switch," a device that converts the semi-automatic pistol into a fully automatic machine gun.
After the shooting, Balentine fled the scene but later turned himself in to authorities. He was arrested and charged with capital murder, attempted capital murder, aggravated residential burglary, perpetrating a crime with a machine gun, and first-degree endangering the welfare of a minor.
At his arraignment, Balentine pleaded not guilty to the charges. A judge ordered him to be held without bond. The case was initially set for trial in August, but court records show it was postponed because State Crime Lab reports had not yet been completed. As of August 2025, the case remained pending, with a status hearing scheduled for November.
