In the summer of 2019, a burst of gunfire on a street in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, tragically cut short the life of 18-year-old SaRavis Reece, a Black male. The incident unfolded on the afternoon of July 17th, when Reece was shot on South Richard Drive. After being struck, he managed to run into a nearby house seeking help before collapsing. He was initially rushed to a local medical center and then transferred to a hospital in Little Rock, but he ultimately succumbed to his injuries.
The
investigation into the shooting led to the swift arrest of 20-year-old Chi'dra Thomas on suspicion of first-degree murder. Thomas was taken into custody and held at the county jail. However, as detectives delved deeper into the case, he was later released pending further investigation, with authorities indicating a need for more evidence to proceed with the initial charge.
The focus of the investigation then shifted to another individual, Arnett Raphael May Jr., who was 19 at the time of the shooting. May was subsequently charged with capital murder in connection with Reece's death. The legal proceedings that followed, however, took a different turn. In a 2022 trial, the murder charge against May was dismissed. Instead, he agreed to a plea deal, pleading guilty to the lesser charge of aggravated assault. For this, he was sentenced to a three-year prison term, bringing a complex and challenging chapter of the case to a close.
