In the small city of Augusta, Arkansas, the evening of December 21, 2024, was shattered by violence that ended the life of 57-year-old Kenneth Ray Hawkins. Known affectionately as 'Donnie,' Mr. Hawkins, a male, was a father and grandfather who had spent his life in the Augusta community. He was born in nearby Newport on September 7, 1967, and attended Augusta Public Schools.
A former employee of the Land O Frost food processing plant in Searcy, he had accepted Christ at an early age and was a member of St. Luke Missionary Baptist Church in his youth.
On that Saturday night, at approximately 10:00 PM, officers from the Augusta Police Department were called to an apartment complex in the 200 block of Hough Street. There, they discovered Kenneth Ray Hawkins lying on the ground outside, suffering from multiple gunshot wounds to his upper torso. Emergency medical services were rendered, and he was transported to a local hospital, but tragically, he succumbed to his injuries.
The Augusta Police Department requested the assistance of the Arkansas State Police Criminal Investigation Division to lead the homicide investigation. Mr. Hawkins' body was sent to the Arkansas State Crime Lab to officially determine the cause and manner of death. In the days following the shooting, law enforcement had not publicly identified any suspects or a potential motive for the killing. The investigation was described as ongoing, with authorities appealing to the public for any information that might lead to an arrest. The community was left in a state of shock and mourning as they awaited answers and justice for the loss of one of their own.
