On December 18, 2023, at about 12:40 a.m., 34-year-old Jarrick Dontreal Hoskins was fatally shot inside Leighton’s House of Lamb at 4405 Emancipation Avenue in Houston’s Third Ward. Houston Police found Hoskins with at least one gunshot wound; he was taken to a nearby hospital and pronounced dead. Reports say Hoskins and an unidentified male had a verbal altercation before the shooting and the suspect fled the scene.

Investigators later identified the suspect as 32-year-old Cedric Denzil Brooks. A murder charge was filed against Brooks on January 30, 2024, and Houston Police arrested him on March 7, 2024; he was taken into custody without incident and held on a $300,000 bond. Hoskins’ family describe him as a loving father of two who was trying to turn his life around, and his death has renewed community calls for action on gun violence and for changes to bond practices.

If anyone was at Leighton’s House of Lamb that night or has information about the altercation, please come forward.