On a summer evening, the roar of engines at the Great Lakes Dragaway in Union Grove, Wisconsin, was tragically silenced by gunfire. It was August 13, 2017, during the bustling "Larry's Fun Fest," an event that had drawn thousands of spectators. Among them was Khalid R. Howard, a 30-year-old Black man from Union Grove. In an instant, the festive atmosphere turned into a scene of chaos and violence that would leave three men dead and a community in shock.
Khalid R.
Howard, along with David L. Watson, 30, and Derek K. Edwards, 26, all from Illinois, were standing near a food vendor when a lone gunman approached them. The assailant, without warning, opened fire at what authorities described as "point-blank range." The attack was swift and brutal. Two of the men were shot, and as the third tried to flee, he too was gunned down. In a chilling display of intent, the gunman returned to the first two victims and shot them again, an act the Kenosha County Sheriff described as ensuring they were dead.
The shooting sent waves of panic through the large crowd, with many scrambling for safety. In the aftermath, Khalid R. Howard and Derek K. Edwards were pronounced dead at the scene. David L. Watson succumbed to his injuries in an ambulance on the way to the hospital. The investigation that followed pointed to a targeted attack, with law enforcement officials stating that the three victims were known gang members from the Aurora, Illinois area, suggesting the motive was likely gang-related. This assertion was supported by the calculated nature of the shooting, which authorities did not believe was a random act of violence.
In the days that followed, authorities released a description of the suspect: a Black man in his 20s, with a thin, athletic build, wearing blue jean shorts and a black hoodie. Despite the public setting of the crime, the investigation was hampered by a lack of cooperation from some witnesses and family members of the victims. In an effort to generate leads, the FBI offered a reward of up to $25,000 for information leading to the arrest of the person or persons responsible for the triple homicide. However, the shooter remained at large, leaving a lingering sense of unease and unanswered questions.
