Jason Smith

Jason Smith, a 26-year-old Black man, was fatally shot in his Houston, Texas, home in the early morning hours of October 8, 2021. The shooting took place at an apartment complex located at 6013 Schroeder Street where he lived with his mother.

Around 3 a.m., Smith’s mother was asleep when she was awakened by the sound of a gunshot. When she went to investigate, she discovered her son on the floor of the kitchen. Houston police officers and fire department paramedics responded to the scene and found Smith suffering from a gunshot wound. He was rushed to Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center, but he did not survive his injuries and was pronounced deceased.

Detectives M. Perez and J. Escobar with the Houston Police Department Homicide Division began an investigation into the killing. A witness reported seeing a Black male, described as being in his late 20s and approximately five feet, nine inches tall, fleeing the apartment complex with a gun in his hand.

Based on further investigation, authorities identified Guy Cornell Jones as the suspect in the shooting. The day after Smith’s death, Jones was charged with murder in the 339th State District Court, and a warrant was issued for his arrest.

Jones remained a fugitive for more than a year. On January 4, 2023, he was located and taken into custody by members of the Gulf Coast Violent Offenders Task Force. As of January 2023, Jones was in custody and his case was proceeding through the court system.