On the evening of April 19, 2020, 22-year-old Jeremiah Smith was shot in the back of the head in the parking lot of a Walmart in Stonecrest, Georgia, and later died at a local hospital. Smith, an African American business management student at Clayton State University, had intervened after a man repeatedly harassed his girlfriend inside the store; that man flashed a handgun. After Smith and his girlfriend left, the assailant followed them into the parking lot and shot Smith as he and his girlfriend walked to a friend’s car.

DeKalb County police released surveillance images as the community and Smith’s family waited for an arrest. A break came when 26-year-old Delon Hooks was arrested in Miami on unrelated charges; he was subsequently identified as the primary suspect in Smith’s murder and was awaiting extradition to DeKalb County to face charges. Smith’s family remembered him as a loving and joyful person who inspired his siblings.

If anyone witnessed the confrontation inside the store or the shooting in the parking lot, or has information that could help investigators, please come forward.