Jayshawn Cornelius, 17, a Black student at Hughes STEM High School, was shot dead just after 1:30 a.m. on June 3, 2025, at his family’s home in Cincinnati’s Westwood neighborhood. Police responded to a ShotSpotter alert on Percy Avenue and found him mortally wounded; early reports said about 14 shots were fired toward the residence and Jayshawn was struck multiple times and pronounced dead at the scene. An obituary later confirmed his age and date of death.

Detectives later developed a lead that resulted in an indictment. Prosecutors allege 24-year-old Malik Blanchard, who was already jailed in an unrelated June 9 homicide, was with a woman who approached a 12-year-old outside the Percy Avenue home, said she wanted to fight the child’s relatives, and then drew a gun and fired as the boys ran toward the house. The 12-year-old made it inside; Jayshawn was struck while trying to get through the door.

Family, friends, and the school community publicly mourned Jayshawn, describing him as a respectful teen who wanted to become a mechanic and who helped keep younger kids off the streets; his father started a fundraiser for funeral costs. Does anyone in Westwood have information about what happened that night or about Jayshawn’s last movements?