Jadun Byrd, a 19-year-old Black man, was tragically shot and killed in St. Louis, Missouri, on March 2, 2022, in a horrifying sequence of events that unfolded while he was on a FaceTime call with his mother. The incident occurred around 11 a.m. in a parking lot in the 2400 block of Whittier Street in The Ville neighborhood. Byrd had taken a Lyft to meet his mother, who worked nearby, but was dropped off on the wrong side of the building.
It was during their video call to coordinate their meeting that the fatal attack happened.
His mother, Leslie Byrd, recounted the harrowing experience of witnessing her son's final moments. She heard gunshots and initially thought he had just dropped his phone. However, she then heard someone exclaim, 'They just shot that boy up,' and saw her son's reaction through the phone as he was struck by multiple gunshots. According to his mother, the assailants did not rob him or take any of his belongings, leading her to believe it was a case of mistaken identity. They simply pulled up, shot him, and drove away. Jadun Byrd was rushed to a local hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries.
For more than two years, the case remained unsolved. However, in July 2024, authorities announced a significant development. Johnathon Jones, who was 19 at the time of the announcement, was charged with first-degree murder, unlawful use of a weapon, and two counts of armed criminal action in connection with Jadun Byrd's death. At the time of the shooting, Jones was 16 years old and had escaped from the city's Juvenile Detention Center in November 2021, where he was being held in connection to a separate homicide that occurred in April 2021. Investigators were able to link Jones to Byrd's murder through surveillance footage that captured a vehicle connected to Jones circling the area and following Byrd. Fingerprints found in the vehicle and ballistic evidence from a firearm recovered at Jones's home further tied him to the scene. Phone records also indicated that Jones's phone was put into 'Airplane Mode' shortly before and after the homicide. Jones remains in custody as the case against him proceeds.
