On the afternoon of Saturday, April 25, 2026, 18-year-old McComb High School senior Laraya Hood was shot once in the head at an apartment on Pine Street in McComb, Mississippi. The shooting was reported about 3:38 p.m. and proved fatal.

Police investigators arrested 18-year-old Zytavious Barnes and charged him with murder. The McComb Police Chief said Barnes and Hood had been in a relationship and called her death a senseless and unnecessary act of violence. The community had marked the previous day with a balloon release for a classmate who had been a prior victim of gun violence, and a GoFundMe was started to help Hood’s family with funeral expenses.

Anyone who knew Laraya, her routines, or who was in the Pine Street area that afternoon is asked to come forward with information.