Robert LaWayne Smith Jr., a 22-year-old Black / African American man from North Little Rock, Arkansas, spent his brief adulthood on the move, traveling for work but always anchoring himself to the city he called home. Born on October 13, 1998, to Narium N. Williams and Robert Smith Sr., he grew up in a large, close-knit family that included numerous siblings, cousins, aunts, uncles, and a beloved grandmother.
Those who wrote about him after his death remembered a charismatic presence with a big smile, someone well liked in every circle he moved through. They described a young man with an outstanding work ethic who took pride in providing for himself, often traveling as a merchandiser and fixture installer, yet returning again and again to North Little Rock, where he had gone to school and built deep friendships.
By the fall of 2020, Robert's life looked busy and forward-looking. Online tributes portray him as funny, cool, and caring, the kind of person who could light up a room and who friends knew by affectionate nicknames like “Nuk Nuk” and “RTG.” He was remembered as a gentle spirit and a devoted son whose mother called it a blessing to have raised him. Former classmates and relatives wrote that he was generous, an animal lover, and a hard worker, proud of his jobs on the road and his roots in local schools such as North Little Rock High. The stories shared after his death painted an image of a young man standing on the edge of adulthood, trying to build a future while staying grounded in family and community.
In the early morning hours of November 5, 2020, the course of that life was abruptly cut short. Around 12:45 a.m., North Little Rock police officers were patrolling near the 1300 block of Pine Street when they heard gunshots ring out. Responding immediately, they arrived to find two wounded men in the area of 1315 Pine Street, each suffering from at least one gunshot wound. The victims were identified as Robert Smith, age 22, and 21-year-old Jalen Lambert, both from North Little Rock. Robert was pronounced dead at the scene despite the rapid response, while Lambert was rushed to a local hospital in critical condition.
The shooting unfolded in the quiet hours before dawn, at a time when most of the neighborhood was still. Police officials described the incident as isolated and emphasized that they did not believe there was an ongoing threat to the general public. At the same time, they appealed for help, asking anyone with information to contact detectives or the department's tip line. The formal press release framed the case as an active homicide investigation in its early stages, giving few details beyond the names, ages, and conditions of the two men found shot on Pine Street. Local news coverage that day largely echoed the police account: a deadly shooting, one man lost, another clinging to life, and no information released about who had pulled the trigger or why.
In the months and years that followed, Robert's loved ones tried to keep his memory alive while grappling with the silence that settled over the case. His obituary spoke of a young man who had traveled widely but whose heart never left North Little Rock, and who would be deeply missed by his parents, siblings, and extended family. Online memorial pages filled with messages from family and friends described holidays that felt empty without him, days marked by tears and prayers, and an enduring sense that the world had shifted irreparably when he was killed. Some relatives posting on public remembrance sites wrote of the shooting as an ambush and spoke of the loss as a wound that had not healed, using phrases like “no justice for Robert” as they questioned why those responsible had not been held to account.
Despite the grief and the public appeals for information, available records do not show that anyone has been arrested or publicly identified as a suspect in Robert LaWayne Smith Jr.'s killing. The original police communications and same-day news reports name only the two victims and mention no suspects, and later case summaries continue to list the homicide without noting any charges or resolved outcome. Online memorials updated years after the shooting still include anguished comments from family members asking why no one has been brought to justice and urging authorities to act on whatever information they may have. Taken together, the public record depicts a young man remembered with love and pride by a large family and a wide circle of friends, whose death on a North Little Rock street in November 2020 remains, at least publicly, an unanswered act of violence.
