On the afternoon of June 14, 2021, 21-year-old Malik Vallarie was fatally shot after an altercation on a basketball court in the Waltersville area of Vicksburg, Mississippi. Vallarie was later found in a wooded area behind the City of Vicksburg Animal Shelter, where he had collapsed after attempting to flee; he was pronounced dead at the scene.

Witness interviews led investigators to arrest 29-year-old Laqesha Davis and 15-year-old Damarion Reed, both from Vicksburg; both were charged with murder, and Davis faced an additional charge of instructing a juvenile to commit a felony. Prosecutors alleged the shooting was retaliation for an incident days earlier in which Vallarie had reportedly assaulted Reed’s mother.

Reed went to trial first; witnesses identified him as the shooter but his defense blamed Davis and highlighted inconsistencies in testimony and video they said implicated Davis. The jury acquitted Reed. Davis later pleaded guilty to directing a child to commit a felony and was sentenced to 10 years in prison.

If anyone knew Malik, was present at the Waltersville court that day, or has information about what led to the confrontation, please come forward.