On a tragic night in Monticello, Arkansas, the life of 25-year-old Hunter Roberts Laney was cut short. The male victim, a resident of Pine Bluff, was fatally shot in the early morning hours of October 29, 2016. The events that culminated in his death began with a dispute at a local establishment, The River Sports Bar. An argument over two pocket knives erupted between Laney and another man, identified as 37-year-old Charles Dobbins, a former Monticello resident then living in Little Rock.
Following the initial confrontation at the bar, security intervened, and both parties left the premises. Laney departed in his vehicle with two passengers, but they were followed by Dobbins and another individual in a white SUV. The situation escalated tragically in the parking lot of a gas station along U.S. Highway 278. While seated in the driver's seat of his vehicle, Laney was shot multiple times and died at the scene. The gunfire also resulted in injuries to a female passenger in his car, who was subsequently treated at a local hospital; a third occupant of the vehicle was unharmed.
After the shooting, Charles Dobbins fled the scene but was apprehended by law enforcement later that same day following a brief standoff at a residence on Highway 425 South. He was arrested and faced charges of first-degree murder, first-degree battery, and being a felon in possession of a firearm. Another individual was taken into custody on lesser charges but was later released. In July 2018, Dobbins entered a guilty plea in Drew County Circuit Court. His charges were amended, and he was sentenced to a total of 30 years in prison, which included 20 years for a reduced charge of manslaughter and an additional 10 years for two counts of aggravated assault.
