On the night of April 19, 2023, at about 10:55 p.m., Waco police responded to a shooting near the 1100 block of Cleveland Avenue and found two people with gunshot wounds: 40-year-old Jamerson Hawthorne and an unidentified woman. Officers administered life-saving measures and both victims were taken to a local hospital. Hawthorne died shortly after arrival; the woman was reported in stable condition.

The Waco Police Department opened a murder investigation and requested help from the public, including any video from the area of 18th Street and Clay Avenue or 9th Street and Cleveland Avenue. As of May 15, 2023, detectives had no significant leads, no arrests had been made, and no suspects had been publicly identified. The police chief noted an overall decrease in violent crime in the city but expressed concern about recent homicides, including Hawthorne’s.

If anyone has information about the shooting, please contact the Waco Police Department or Crime Stoppers.