In the late hours of a Friday night in Sylacauga, Alabama, the life of 17-year-old DMarcus Riggins was tragically cut short. On August 8, 2025, in the Drew Court neighborhood, gunfire erupted, leaving the B.B. Comer Memorial High School student-athlete with a fatal wound. Another young man, 18-year-old Israel Duncan, was also injured in the shooting.
Emergency services were called to Crestline Avenue at 10:32 p.m. where they found both Riggins and Duncan suffering from gunshot wounds.
Both were transported to Coosa Valley Medical Center, where life-saving measures were performed on Riggins. Despite these efforts, he was pronounced dead at 11:36 p.m. Duncan was later transferred to UAB Hospital in Birmingham for further treatment and has since recovered.
The community was left reeling from the loss of the promising young football and basketball player. B.B. Comer Memorial High School and local churches offered support and prayers for Riggins' family, friends, and classmates as they mourned the sudden and violent loss. His mother, Latrice Riggins, made a public plea for anyone with information to come forward to help bring justice for her son.
An investigation into the shooting was launched by the Sylacauga Police Department with assistance from the Talladega County Drug and Violent Crime Task Force. Their efforts led to the arrest of 16-year-old JaKayden Smith on November 14, 2025. Smith was taken into custody at an apartment complex on Autumn Lane and has been charged with murder in the death of DMarcus Riggins and first-degree assault for the shooting of Israel Duncan. His bond was set at $250,000 for the murder charge and $50,000 for the assault charge.
