In the early morning hours of May 26, 2017, the quiet of a rural Clarksville, Arkansas road was shattered by the sound of gunfire. Just after midnight, the Johnson County Sheriff's Office received a call reporting a shooting at a residence on Private Road 3555. When deputies arrived, they found 38-year-old Donald Skidmore, a White male, deceased outside of his home.
Investigators and the Johnson County Coroner were called to the scene to begin the task of piecing together the events that led to the fatal shooting. Skidmore's body was later sent to the Arkansas State Medical Examiner's Office in Little Rock for an autopsy to determine the official cause of death. Friends and family remembered Skidmore as a talented tattoo artist and a good friend.
Present at the scene of the shooting was Billy Martin, who was identified as a suspect and taken into custody. Martin was subsequently transported to the Johnson County Detention Center. While an arrest was made, the investigation into the circumstances and motive behind the shooting remained ongoing pending the results of the autopsy.
