Jakeyleous Mykel Smith, a 17-year-old Black male, was fatally shot in Laurel, Mississippi, in the early morning hours of Sunday, May 30, 2021. Officers responded to the 300 block of West 11th Street at about 1:30 a.m. after reports of gunfire and found Smith with a gunshot wound. He was transported to a nearby hospital but died of his injuries.

Within days police identified a person of interest and arrested 18-year-old Vontrell McGill. McGill was charged with first-degree murder and a judge set bond at $1 million; the case was bound over to a grand jury for further proceedings. Few personal details about Smith are reported beyond his age and that he was from the Laurel community.

Does anyone in Laurel have information about what happened that night or knew Jakeyleous Mykel Smith?