In the small community of Lake Village, Arkansas, a promising young life was tragically cut short. Sierra-Li Nicole Wade, an 18-year-old female and a proud Native American, was a freshman at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, where she was not only a student-athlete but also a dedicated ROTC cadet with aspirations of becoming a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army.
On the evening of Monday, November 25, 2019, Sierra-Li was home from college for the Thanksgiving break.
She was spending her time at Luna Street Park, a familiar local spot, enjoying a game of basketball. The park, usually a place of recreation and community, became the scene of a violent and senseless act. At approximately 5:28 p.m., gunshots rang out across the basketball court. Both Sierra-Li and her brother, Deonte R. Balhin, were struck by the gunfire. Emergency services were called to the scene, and both siblings were transported to a nearby hospital for treatment of their gunshot wounds. Tragically, Sierra-Li succumbed to her injuries and passed away.
The unexpected violence sent shockwaves through the tight-knit town of Lake Village and the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff community. In the wake of the shooting, local law enforcement began an intensive investigation to bring the person responsible to justice. Their efforts led them to identify 41-year-old Octavius Easterling as the primary suspect in the shooting. On December 6, 2019, Easterling was apprehended by U.S. Marshals in Jacksonville. He was subsequently taken into custody and faced charges of first-degree murder for the death of Sierra-Li Wade and first-degree battery for the injuries sustained by her brother.
