In the summer of 2017, the life of a 17-year-old male from Athens, Georgia, named Rayquann Deonte Jernigan, was tragically cut short. On a Sunday morning, June 25th, at the Riverview Apartments on College Avenue, a dispute that began between two groups of friends escalated with fatal consequences. Jernigan, who was known to friends by the chosen name of Ava Le'Ray Barrin, was present at the apartment complex visiting friends when an argument broke out.
The altercation took a deadly turn
when 21-year-old Jalen Breon Brown became involved. According to police reports, the initial argument was not directly between Brown and Jernigan. However, it was Brown who fired a 'warning shot' from a second-floor apartment into the parking lot where Jernigan and others were gathered. The conflict then moved to the parking lot, where Brown allegedly shot Jernigan once in the chest. Emergency services were called to the scene in response to reports of a fight and shots fired, but by the time they arrived, Jernigan was no longer breathing and succumbed to the single gunshot wound.
Responding officers found Brown still inside the apartment complex and took him into custody. During questioning, Brown claimed to have acted in self-defense. However, after interviewing witnesses and Brown, detectives determined that the claim of self-defense was not supported by the evidence. They concluded that a physical fight did not justify the use of deadly force and that Brown had fired a shot prior to the final, fatal confrontation.
Jalen Breon Brown was subsequently arrested and charged with murder and aggravated assault in connection with the death of Rayquann Jernigan. The weapon used in the shooting was also recovered at the scene. Brown was taken to the Clarke County Jail and held without bond. The death of the young man, who was identified by advocacy groups as a transgender woman of color, brought attention to the violence faced by the transgender community.
