The calm in the quiet village of Burrell Boom was disturbed this weekend when the 27-year-old resident, Aaron Baptist, was killed in a barrage of bullets. Several hours later, Baptist’s neighbor, Kyle Pinkard, came under gunfire, and so, it has led to the suspicion within the village that the two violent crimes are connected in some way.
Police say that sometime after 8 p.m. on Sunday, November, 3, they received a call for help at the home of Lindell Williams. When they arrived, they found Baptist’s lifeless body; someone shot him multiple times. What they’ve been able to determine so far is that Baptist and Williams were socializing inside the house, and they were listening to music. They were sufficiently distracted, and an assailant used that opportunity to shove his hand through a hole in the door. That tiny space allowed the assailant enough of an opportunity to fire approximately 10 shots into William’s home. When the gunfire subsided, the shooter fled into the night, and first responders realized that Baptist suffered fatal injuries.
His family has declined comment to press, asserting that they have already encountered misinformation about his murder. Information to the press is that he was the father of one child.
As to the possible reason for Baptist’s execution, there is no known motive at this time, but there is the recurrent rumor from the village that he was somehow involved in the trade of marijuana. No proof has been offered to substantiate that.
About three and a half hours later, police had to return back to Burrell Boom to respond to another shooting. This time, they went to the home of Kyle Pinkard, and they were informed that he suffered a gunshot injury to the hip. Investigators have since learned that at around 11:30 p.m. on that same Sunday, Pinkard was at his home when someone arrived. That person knocked on his door and began shouting several comments. Pinkard refused to open his door, and so, that person fired several shots at the walls of the house. One of those bullets penetrated the wall and injured Pinkard, who was rushed to the KHMH.
Of note is that both Baptist and Pinkard live on the same street in the village, and residents suspect that Pinkard’s shooting is directly connected to Baptist’s killing. Police say that they are investigating that possibility, but they did not share any other specifics about that angle. They believe that the comments that the gunman shouted before opening fire may be useful for identifying who he is.
