In the autumn of 2022, the life of Kenneth Edward Fitzgerald Reed Jr., a 30-year-old Black/African American man, was tragically cut short. On the evening of October 15th, in Blytheville, Arkansas, officers were dispatched to the intersection of Cherry Street and Ruddle Road after receiving a call about shots being fired. Upon their arrival, they discovered Reed at the scene, having sustained a fatal gunshot wound.
The investigation into the shooting death of the factory worker and father
of three quickly moved forward. Within days, the Blytheville Police Department identified a suspect and issued an arrest warrant. The person sought in connection with the homicide was 20-year-old Harliyah Walker, who was identified as Reed's sister-in-law. The circumstances leading up to the deadly encounter pointed towards a domestic dispute.
On October 26, 2022, eleven days after the shooting, Harliyah Walker surrendered to the Blytheville Police Department without incident. Following her surrender, she was formally charged with first-degree murder in the death of Kenneth Reed. The community was left to mourn the loss of a son, father, and brother as the legal process against the accused began.
