Hayden Toliver was 15 when he was shot late at night behind the Willow Wood Apartments in Yazoo City, Mississippi. On August 29, 2023, at about 10:30 PM, officers responding to reports of gunfire found him near Thomas Christian Academy with a single gunshot wound to the head. He was taken to a local hospital, then airlifted to the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson, where he died the next day, according to Yazoo County Coroner Ricky Shivers.

Authorities say the shooting followed an altercation involving several people in the area. A suspect, Mike Patterson Jr., turned himself in and was charged with murder; a municipal judge set bond at $350,000. The police state the investigation is ongoing as they pursue leads about Patterson’s and others’ potential roles.

If anyone was in the Willow Wood Apartments area that night or has information about the altercation, please share what was seen or heard.