CENTRALIA — It was one year ago today [Wednesday] that Centralia marked its second shooting death of the year, when a 24-year-old Irvington man was found shot to death in a neighborhood alleyway on the City’s northeast side.

Demonstrators calling for justice in shooting death of Dustin Rhynes(Credit: WRXX)
Demonstrators calling for justice in shooting death of Dustin Rhynes (Credit: WRXX)

Friends and family of Dustin Rhynes recognized the anniversary today with a demonstration that started in front of the Centralia City Hall and proceeded north on U.S. Highway 51. The group will hold a candlelight vigil later tonight at the location where Dustin’s body was discovered on this day last year.

Demonstrators are asking the City and for police to crack down on violent crime and to further investigate Dustin’s death.

Dustin was the second person shot to death last year in Centralia. On the evening of February 16, Michael Keith Tolliver was shot multiple times as he opened the door of his home on the northwest side of town to an unknown person or persons.

Crimestoppers is offering a reward in relation to both the Rhynes and Tolliver case, as both murders are unsolved at this time.

The third shooting death last year in Centralia resulted in an arrest. On Christmas morning, 26-year-old Leroy Roberson, of Mt. Vernon was shot to death in the parking lot of a Centralia bar.

Demetrice Lockett was arrested in that incident and the 28-year-old Mulberry Grove man is facing two counts first-degree murder. Locket remains in the Marion County Jail with a pretrial hearing scheduled for August 31.