New appeals for information made in Antwan Smith's death

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — With the May 2011 murder of Antwan Smith back in the public eye, there are new appeals for witnesses to come forward to help convict whoever killed him.

His mother, Sonjia Smith, appealed for information in his murder after charges were dropped against Antonio Thompkins.

“We’re looking for justice,” she said.

Thompkins was originally accused of firing the shots that killed Smith and injured another man after Speed Street last year.  The district attorney dropped the charge against Thompkins on Monday, because none of the dozens of witnesses has cooperated.

Eyewitness News asked police and city leaders if they plan to push for answers from the witnesses who are staying silent.

A CMPD spokesperson issued a statement saying, “This is an active investigation and detectives are continuing to work to bring Antwan’s killer to justice.”

Willie Ratchford, who works with Charlotte-Mecklenburg Community Relations, made an appeal of his own.

“We have people that witnessed this incident but will not report it, and it’s different if it happened to your family,” he said. “You would want someone to report it so that justice could be served.”

Jonathan Rebsamen, a pastor at First Baptist Church in uptown, said several changes were made over the past year after the shooting.  He said a tougher juvenile curfew and an increased presence of police and volunteers have helped to restore a sense of safety to uptown Charlotte.  The pastor said the final step would be someone coming forward with information to help convict Smith’s killer and bring his family closure.

“Don’t be afraid of any repercussions or what could take place. Again, a life was lost and there’s nothing more precious than life,” he said.

Eyewitness News hoped to speak with Antonio Thompkins after his release Monday morning, but his attorney, Jeremy Smith, said he did not have a comment and was focused on spending time with his family.

WSOC