Bakari Jones was 28 when he was shot during a drug transaction on July 14, 2015, in the 3200 block of Gordon Drive in Greenville, North Carolina. He was shot in the chest, made it to Vidant Medical Center, and gave investigators information about the shooting before dying overnight.

The investigation resulted in the arrest of five people: Samantha Sullivan, Jeneil Smallwood, Jordan Murphy, Dearenta D. Warren, and Donald Bryant. Each was charged with murder, robbery with a dangerous weapon, and conspiracy to commit robbery with a dangerous weapon, and each was held on $2 million bond after their initial court appearances.

Jones’s death underscores the lethal risks tied to drug transactions and left a community mourning a young man who could briefly speak about what happened. If anyone has information about the events on Gordon Drive that night, please come forward.