Ontario Drake was 28 when he was killed in a shooting in Meridian, Mississippi, in July 2019. Reports place the deadly altercation on the 2000 block of 30th Avenue; initial death notices gave July 12, 2019, at Rush Foundation Hospital, while investigators later identified July 15 as the date of the shooting. Police described the shooting as arising from an ongoing dispute.

Investigators arrested 20-year-old Jayvion Smith of Meridian in connection with Drake’s death; the U.S. Marshals detained Smith in July 2019 and he faced charges in the shooting. At the time of that arrest Smith was also charged with two counts of capital murder in a separate double homicide case.

Meridian and Lauderdale County recorded 17 homicides in 2019, with fifteen occurring inside the city; police linked many of the incidents to ongoing disputes and domestic violence. If anyone knew Ontario Drake or has information about the 2000 block of 30th Avenue in July 2019, please come forward.