Zaelyn Braxton was a 16-year-old from Gulfport, Mississippi, with an entrepreneurial streak and plans to pursue a GED and a trade in construction to become an electrician. Known by nicknames including Zae Pooh, Spite, and Man-man, he had attended Central Middle School and started a clothing line called Lost Soul when he was 15.

In the early morning hours of February 12, 2024, Gulfport police responded to a shooting on Kenwood Drive at about 2:19 a.m. Officers found Zaelyn, a Black male, deceased from multiple gunshot wounds in the doorway of a residence; the Harrison County Coroner’s Office later confirmed his identity. Detectives used the victim’s phone and surveillance footage to identify three suspects. Eighteen-year-old Elijah Lamar Eckford was arrested and charged with second-degree murder. Two others, both 21, were arrested and charged as accessories after the fact: Tai’shawn Rashaud Holloway, accused of driving Eckford to and from the scene, and Christopher Dirrell Fletcher, accused of providing the firearm. Investigators initially reported the shooting followed a verbal altercation over a ten-dollar vape pen.

If anyone knew Zaelyn or has information about what happened that night, please share what you know.