In the spring of 2017, just three days before he was set to graduate from McKinley High School, the life of 18-year-old Bryant Jr Lee was tragically cut short. On the night of Saturday, May 13, 2017, Lee, a male, was leaving a high school graduation party in his North Baton Rouge neighborhood when he was struck by a bullet to the head. The promising young athlete, who served as the quarterback for his school's football team and maintained a 3.5 GPA, had plans to study engineering at Southern University in the fall.
This was not the first time Lee had been a victim of gun violence. Just six months prior, in November, he had been shot in the leg during a drive-by shooting. In both instances, his family and friends asserted that he was an innocent bystander, caught in the crossfire of senseless violence. His death plunged his family and the wider community into a state of grief and disbelief.
In the wake of the shooting, the Baton Rouge Police Department's investigation was hampered by a lack of cooperation from potential witnesses. Despite estimates that over 150 people were at the party when the shooting occurred, fear and a reluctance to get involved created a wall of silence. Authorities pleaded with the public for any information, no matter how insignificant it might seem, that could help them piece together the events of that night and bring Bryant Lee's killer to justice. His family echoed these pleas, begging for answers and peace in the midst of their profound loss. To date, there has been no public announcement regarding any arrests or the identification of any suspects in the murder of Bryant Jr Lee.
