Jaylen Burns was a 21-year-old senior at Jackson State University when he was shot during the school’s homecoming weekend on Sunday, October 15, 2023. A native of the Chicago area, he was an industrial technology major who made the dean’s list every year, served as president of the C100 Chapter at JSU, and was active in Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. His family called him a born leader.

According to his father, the shooting occurred at the University Pointe Apartments after a fight started when one of Jaylen’s fraternity brothers argued with a woman; Jaylen was shot while trying to de-escalate the situation. He attempted to drive to the hospital but could not make it; first responders transported him to a local hospital where he died from his injuries.

The initial investigation produced arrests that were later undone: two men were arrested within days, but one, 19-year-old Joshua Brown, was shown by surveillance and GPS evidence to have been nearly 100 miles away and was released; both early arrestees were freed after a judge found insufficient evidence. The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation took over on November 9, 2023, and announced arrests in November 2025; by June 2026 only one person, 21-year-old Ziqua Amos, remained charged in connection with the killing after other cases were dropped or not indicted. If anyone knew Jaylen or has information about what happened that night, please come forward.