In the early morning hours of August 13, 2020, the quiet of a Pine Bluff, Arkansas neighborhood was shattered by the sound of gunfire. When police arrived at a residence on West 17th Street shortly before 1 a.m., they discovered a grim scene. On the front porch lay 39-year-old Christopher Gates, a male who had suffered multiple gunshot wounds. The Jefferson County Deputy Coroner pronounced him dead at the scene.
Not far from where Gates was found, another victim lay near the sidewalk in
front of the home. Eighteen-year-old Charles Washington Jr. had also been shot multiple times. He was rushed to Jefferson Regional Medical Center in a desperate attempt to save his life, but he succumbed to his injuries while in surgery. The deaths of Gates and Washington marked the 16th and 17th homicides in the city that year.
In the immediate aftermath of the double homicide, the Pine Bluff Police Department began its investigation. However, information was scarce. Authorities reported that they had not identified any suspects and the motive for the shooting remained unknown to the public.
Despite the initial investigation and a reward being offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of any suspect or suspects, details about who was responsible for the deaths of Christopher Gates and Charles Washington Jr. have not been publicly released. The case remains a painful and unresolved chapter for the families of the two men whose lives were cut short on that summer night.
