Ayana LaChae Smith, 28, was killed on the evening of February 10, 2026, on Fulton Street in East Macon, Georgia. Deputies from the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office responded about 8:30 p.m. to a report of a person down and found Smith and her 2-year-old daughter both suffering gunshot wounds. The child was transported to a local hospital in stable condition; Ayana Smith was pronounced dead at about 9:30 p.m.

At the scene officers encountered 34-year-old Marquiz Deonte Brooks of Macon. He was taken into custody that night as a person of interest and was arrested and charged with murder and aggravated assault; he was booked into the Bibb County Jail just after 10:00 p.m. and is being held without bond. Authorities have not released a motive or described the nature of the relationship between Brooks and Smith. The investigation remains ongoing.

If anyone has information about what happened on Fulton Street that night or knew Ayana Smith, please share what you know with the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office.