Keon Smith

Keon Smith, a 26-year-old Black man, was in his home city of Baltimore, Maryland, when his life was cut short in the autumn of 2015.

The afternoon of Thursday, October 8, 2015, was disrupted by gunfire at a small car wash in West Baltimore. At approximately 2 p.m., Keon was at the Diamond Auto Spa, located in the 1300 block of West North Avenue, when he was shot in the chest. The site of the shooting was just east of the busy intersection of Pennsylvania and North avenues, an area that had been the epicenter of civil unrest months earlier following the death of Freddie Gray. The car wash where Keon was attacked stood at the base of a large, recently painted mural of Lady Justice.

Baltimore City police officers were called to the scene and found the wounded Keon Smith. He was immediately transported to a local hospital for treatment, but he succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead. Homicide detectives launched an investigation into his death. Back at the Diamond Auto Spa, investigators were observed focusing their efforts around a vehicle parked beneath one of the car wash's coverings. The next day, authorities officially identified Keon as the victim.

His death marked the city's 261st homicide of the year, a stark figure when compared to the 211 killings recorded for all of 2014. In the years since the investigation began, no suspects have been publicly identified, and no arrests have been made in the case. As of October 2015, the shooting that took Keon Smith's life remains unsolved. Authorities have urged anyone with information to contact Metro Crime Stoppers at 866-7LOCKUP.