Avion Gregory Donell Donelson, a 16-year-old student at Lanier High School, was shot multiple times and killed near the back of a residence on the 3300 block of Memphis Street in west Jackson on March 5, 2025. Funeral notices and obituaries confirm he died in his hometown and describe the loss felt by his parents, Albert Donelson and Lataisha Clark, and extended family. Friends’ online memorials recall a gentle, kind teenager whose life was cut short.

Jackson police said the shooting followed some kind of disturbance but did not immediately explain what sparked it or how many people were involved. Detectives asked the public for tips through Crime Stoppers as they investigated. On March 19, 2025, police announced the arrest of 43-year-old Jermaine Hilliard on a murder charge in connection with the killing; jail records list a Jermaine Antonio Hilliard born in 1981 as held at the county facility. Services for Avion were held in March 2025 at a local church and cemetery.

If anyone knew Avion, witnessed the shooting, or has information about what led to the disturbance on Memphis Street, please come forward.