In the summer of 2017, the life of a young man who had recently sought a new beginning in Little Rock, Arkansas, was tragically cut short. Samuel 'Chris' Gilmore, a 19-year-old male, had not long ago moved from Texas, hoping for fresh opportunities and experiences. His aspirations, however, were brought to a sudden and violent end on the night of July 17th.
On that fateful evening, authorities were called to West 14th Street, where they discovered Gilmore lying in the road, having sustained multiple gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead at the scene, becoming the city's 32nd homicide victim of the year.
The initial investigation into the shooting unfolded with urgency, as police worked to piece together the events that led to Gilmore's untimely death. For a time, the circumstances remained a mystery, and no immediate arrests were made. The community was left to grapple with the senseless violence that had claimed another young life. Gilmore's recent arrival in the city added another layer of poignancy to the tragedy, as he had barely had the chance to establish himself in his new home before he was killed.
Weeks later, a significant development brought a measure of progress to the case. A 17-year-old from North Little Rock, Davontay Baker, turned himself in to the authorities in connection with the homicide. Investigators alleged that the incident was a robbery that had escalated into a fatal shooting. Baker was subsequently charged as an adult with capital murder for his role in the death of Samuel Chris Gilmore. He was taken into custody and held at the Pulaski County Jail without bond, as the legal process to bring closure to a case that had so abruptly ended a promising young life began.
