On a Tuesday evening in Bald Knob, Arkansas, the life of Michael Thomas Gimondo, a 27-year-old male, was cut short. On January 3, 2017, White County deputies received a 911 call around 5:30 p.m. reporting gunfire on Barber Road. Arriving at the scene, they discovered Gimondo, who was originally from Searcy, deceased with a gunshot wound to his chest.
He was a welder and construction worker by trade who had a passion for working on cars and drawing tattoos.
At the scene of the shooting, authorities arrested 33-year-old Joshua Curl of Bald Knob. Initially, Curl was charged with second-degree murder, and his bond was set at $150,000. This charge was later upgraded to first-degree murder, to which he pleaded not guilty. The investigation into the shooting revealed that both men, along with others, had attended a funeral in McCrory earlier that day.
Following the funeral, the group went to Curl's home in Bald Knob. An argument broke out between Gimondo and another individual. According to court documents, Gimondo allegedly made threatening remarks and began to advance toward Curl. In response, Curl retrieved a gun from his vehicle. After firing a warning shot, he shot Gimondo multiple times, leading to his death at the scene.
