On the evening of October 26, 2017, the life of 30-year-old Cory Dewayne Goodwin, a Black male from Smackover, Arkansas, was tragically cut short. The fatal incident unfolded outside Hot Shots Bar and Grill, located at 601 South Timberlane Drive in El Dorado, Arkansas. Goodwin was shot and subsequently transported to a local hospital for his injuries.
Despite medical efforts, he succumbed to his wounds the following morning, on October 27, 2017.
In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, law enforcement officials began an investigation that quickly led to a suspect. Eric Morrison of Hot Springs, Arkansas, was apprehended and initially arrested on a battery charge. Following Goodwin's death, the severity of the charges against Morrison escalated significantly. Authorities elevated the charge to first-degree murder, and he was subsequently held in the Union County jail with a bond set at $1 million.
Cory Goodwin was born on January 9, 1987, in Union County to Byron and Brenda Goodwin. A graduate of Smackover High School, he went on to serve his country in the United States military. Remembered as a loving father and a family man, his death left a void in the lives of his parents, his three children, Zion, Ayana, and Corey Jr., and a host of other family members and friends. His funeral services were held at the Smackover Auditorium, and he was laid to rest in Hicks Cemetery in his lifelong home of Smackover.
