On a spring evening in Memphis, Tennessee, the life of 18-year-old Dejuan Hill, a Black male, was tragically cut short in a burst of gunfire. On May 6, 2018, Hill and five other individuals were traveling in a gray Chevrolet Malibu near the Crosstown Concourse when a gold sedan pulled alongside them. Multiple shots were fired from the sedan into the Malibu, resulting in the deaths of Hill and another 18-year-old, Deandre Rogers.
Four other occupants of the car, ranging in age from 14 to 22, were critically injured in the drive-by shooting.
The investigation into the deadly shooting led authorities to a suspect. In September 2019, Jarmon Smith, then 24 years old, was indicted by a Shelby County grand jury on two counts of first-degree murder for the deaths of Dejuan Hill and Deandre Rogers. In addition to the murder charges, Smith also faced four counts of attempted first-degree murder and charges related to the employment of a firearm during the commission of a dangerous felony. Following the indictment, he was held on a $2 million bond.
Despite the indictment and the serious charges brought against Jarmon Smith, publicly available information does not detail the outcome of his trial. Details regarding a conviction or sentencing in connection with the deaths of Dejuan Hill and Deandre Rogers are not readily found in online sources. The narrative of what happened on that May evening and the subsequent legal proceedings remains partially untold, leaving the final chapter of the case and the ultimate measure of justice for Dejuan Hill and the other victims unclear.
