Three years after Eddie C. Willingham and Allah Lawrence were gunned down outside a home on Canal Street in Belle Glade, detectives still don't know who pulled the trigger or why. The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office says no suspect has been identified and the motive remains undetermined, even as investigators keep pressing the public for help cracking the case.
The shooting happened shortly before 10 p.m. on October 25, 2023, according to Crime Stoppers of Palm Beach County. Deputies responding to the scene at 27 Canal Street found Willingham and Lawrence, both adult men, dead from apparent gunshot wounds, according to the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office. PBSO has classified the case as a double homicide and, at the time, said no suspect or motive was known.
A Video Reportedly Circulating in the Community
At some point after the killings, PBSO detectives learned that a video recording of the murder was being shared among residents in the community, and they asked that anyone with access to that footage turn it over to law enforcement. People who submit the video through Crime Stoppers or the P3 Tips app can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a reward of up to $3,000, per the sheriff's office's account of the case.
On Monday, October 26, 2026, the day after the three-year anniversary, the sheriff's office posted on X that it believes someone out there has information about what happened. “Three years later and we're still looking for answers!” the department wrote in a post from its official @pbcountysheriff
account, adding that “their families are still waiting for answers.” The post said detectives continue to investigate the double homicide and that the victims' families deserve justice.
Three Years Without a Break in the Case
The anniversary appeal echoed earlier renewed pushes for tips. As the station's report noted, three years after the two men were gunned down, authorities still had not identified any suspects, and the underlying motive remained undetermined, as reported by the Boca Raton Tribune. Hoodline reported in earlier coverage of the case that detectives continued to investigate, reviewing all remaining details.
Accounts of the broader context around the shooting have varied. WPTV reported at the time that the Canal Street shooting was the third fatal shooting incident in Belle Glade since October 15 of that year, while PBSO's own statement made no mention of that pattern. The dossier for this report does not resolve that discrepancy, so both versions are noted here rather than treated as settled fact.
A City That Has Seen This Before
This is not the first unsolved shooting to haunt the small Glades community. A separate triple shooting on July 27, 2021, left two men, identified as David Ifill and Antonio Dukes, dead and a woman injured, according to the Boca Raton Tribune. Investigators said at the time that the 2021 attack appeared to have been targeted, though that case, too, has lingered without public resolution.
For now, PBSO's ask remains straightforward: anyone with information, including anyone who has seen or has access to the video circulating since 2023, is urged to come forward. Tipsters can contact Detective Emily Vander-Laan directly at 561-688-4711, or reach Crime Stoppers at 1-800-458-TIPS (8477) and remain anonymous while still qualifying for the reward.
