On the afternoon of June 12, 2022, 5-year-old Mariyah Lacey was killed at a gas station on Bailey Drive in Jackson, Mississippi. Mariyah was inside her mother’s vehicle when a dispute between her mother, Jasmine Self, and 25-year-old Robert Dewayne Jackson escalated and Jackson allegedly fired shots into the car. Mariyah was fatally wounded; her mother suffered a graze wound.

Jackson Police Department arrested Robert Dewayne Jackson within 24 hours and charged him with murder, aggravated assault, and drive-by shooting. Mariyah’s death was recorded as the city’s 65th homicide for the year. Family members remembered Mariyah as a beautiful child with a contagious laugh, and the community held candlelight vigils and a homegoing celebration in her memory.

The case remains active as the community seeks justice. If anyone witnessed the shooting or has information about what happened that day, please come forward.