A Jackson neighborhood lost its peace in the early morning hours of May 7, 2026, when gunfire rang out. The body of 39-year-old Billy Joe Thedford III was discovered about 12:10 p.m. that day in the backyard of his own home on Gaites Lane. Thedford, a Black male, had sustained multiple gunshot wounds and was pronounced dead at the scene. The Hinds County Coroner’s Office and Jackson Police Department’s Robbery/Homicide and Mobile Crime units responded to investigate.

That same evening, officers arrested 38-year-old Aras Henderson, known as BooBay, on the 1800 block of Chadwick Drive; Henderson is reportedly Thedford’s cousin. He was booked on charges of murder and being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm and given a combined bond of $1 million. Authorities have not disclosed a motive, and the investigation is ongoing.

Did anyone in the Jackson area know the family or see anything in the neighborhood that morning?