In the courtyard of the Spring Valley Apartments in Little Rock, Arkansas, the night of March 24, 2017, was shattered by gunfire that claimed the lives of two teenage friends. Stevie Howard, a 19-year-old Black male, was found in the courtyard with his close friend, Lewis Wallace, who was also 19. Both young men had sustained multiple gunshot wounds in the attack. While Wallace was pronounced dead at the scene, Howard was rushed to a nearby hospital, clinging to life.
Tragically, he succumbed to his injuries the following day, March 25, 2017.
In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, the Little Rock Police Department began an investigation into the double homicide. Witnesses at the apartment complex reported seeing two men dressed in black fleeing the area shortly after the gunshots rang out. Despite this lead, the identities of the suspects remained a mystery, and for years, the case grew cold. The deaths of Stevie Howard and Lewis Wallace became another one of Little Rock's unsolved homicides from 2017, leaving their families and the community searching for answers and justice.
For nearly six years, there were no significant developments in the case. The investigation remained open, but no arrests were made. Then, in a breakthrough moment in January 2023, the Little Rock Police Department announced a significant development. An arrest was finally made in connection to the long-unsolved murders. While the legal proceedings are ongoing, the arrest brought a renewed sense of hope to the families of Stevie Howard and Lewis Wallace that justice, though long delayed, may finally be served.
