In the early morning hours of July 9, 2021, the quiet of a Fort Smith, Arkansas neighborhood was broken by the sound of several gunshots. It wasn't until approximately 6:25 a.m. that the outcome of that violence was discovered. Police responded to a call about an unresponsive man in a gray 2007 Chevy Impala parked at 923 Raleigh Street. Inside the still-running vehicle, they found 40-year-old Herbert Brown, a Black male, deceased in the driver's seat from multiple gunshot wounds.
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investigation into Herbert Brown's death quickly pointed toward a suspect. A witness at the scene told officers they had heard the gunshots around 1:17 a.m. and shortly after saw a Black male dressed in all black running from the area. Further investigation by the Fort Smith police led them to two individuals who had been with Brown and another man on the night of the shooting. They identified the man as 33-year-old Branford Antwan Lewis. The witnesses reported that Lewis had been waving a gun earlier in the evening. The physical evidence at the scene also seemed to point toward Lewis, as several silver shell casings were found near Brown's vehicle.
Branford Antwan Lewis was later apprehended by the Van Buren police and held in the Crawford County Jail before being transferred to Sebastian County. During questioning, Lewis admitted to being in the car with Brown but claimed he had walked to a nearby McDonald's after they arrived at the Raleigh Street location. Surveillance footage from the area confirmed that Lewis had run to the McDonald's parking lot shortly after the time the witness reported hearing the gunshots. Lewis was subsequently charged with first-degree murder and being a felon in possession of a firearm. His bond was set at $500,000. Herbert Brown Jr. was remembered by his family and his community, with a funeral service held on July 17, 2021.
