Jonathan Jenkins was a 22-year-old Black man from Saint Louis, Missouri, remembered by family and friends as intellectual, kind, and gentle. He worked as a factory worker and quality data recorder and had attended Ashland, Yeatman, and Normandy High Schools. On September 9, 2024, Jenkins was shot in the head at a residence in Northwoods, Missouri, after an acquaintance, Santez Boyd, was reportedly roughhousing with him while handling a handgun.

Reports say Boyd attempted to clear the weapon by racking the slide and removing the magazine but that a round remained in the chamber; Boyd then allegedly pointed the gun at Jenkins and pulled the trigger. Jenkins survived about 18 hours after the shooting before dying; he was an organ donor and reportedly saved lives through that decision. Boyd was arrested, initially charged with second-degree assault while Jenkins was alive; after Jenkins died prosecutors upgraded the charge to involuntary manslaughter and a judge set bond at $100,000. Boyd’s family reportedly apologized to the Jenkins family, while Jenkins’ mother, Myzonia Jenkins, has urged for harsher charges.

Are there witnesses or additional details about the scene that could help clarify what happened?