In the early morning hours of March 4, 2020, gunfire in a Danville, Virginia neighborhood left 40-year-old Melvin Wayne Smith dead in the front yard of his home on the 300 block of Summit Road. Emergency medical personnel pronounced Smith deceased at the scene. Investigators said the shooting did not appear to be random.

A person of interest was identified as the inquiry proceeded. The day after the shooting an unrelated arrest brought 29-year-old Ladarius Tomas Jeffries of Danville into custody; Jeffries was later charged with second-degree murder in connection with Smith’s death. At the time the murder charge was filed, Jeffries was already being held in the Danville City Jail on a probation violation and was held with no bond. The investigation remained active as authorities worked toward a resolution.

If anyone has information about what happened that morning on Summit Road, please share what you know.