Ja’Drean Mandrell Dykes was 20 when he was fatally shot in Sylacauga, Alabama, on the evening of Friday, July 29, 2022. Officers were called to reports of shots fired in the Drew Court Housing Community on Inglewood Drive around 8:30 p.m.; residents directed them to North Main Avenue and Sherwood Drive, where Dykes was found with multiple gunshot wounds and pronounced dead at the scene. His death was the city’s second homicide that year.

The Sylacauga Police Department opened a homicide investigation, interviewing family members and witnesses while trying to develop leads and identify those responsible. As of July 2022 no arrests had been announced and no suspects had been publicly identified. If anyone has information about what happened, contact the Sylacauga Police Department at 256-267-0090 or 256-401-2464.