On a Sunday evening over Memorial Day weekend in Greenville, Mississippi, 16-year-old Cody Boettcher, a male, was caught in a burst of gunfire that ended his life. The ninth-grade student at O'Bannon High School was a passenger in the backseat of a car that had stopped for a red light near the intersection of Highway 82 and Fairview at approximately 8:40 p.m. on May 25, 2025.
Multiple gunshots were fired into the vehicle, striking Boettcher several times.
The hail of bullets also injured a 12-year-old who was seated in the front passenger seat. An adult was at the wheel of the car during the violent encounter. In the aftermath, Greenville's police chief lamented the rise of what he termed 'cowardly' gang violence that had recently plagued the city, resulting in other injuries and deaths. The Western Line School District, where Boettcher was a student, issued a statement mourning the loss of a valued member of their school family and extending condolences to his loved ones.
In the days and weeks that followed the deadly shooting, funeral services for Cody Boettcher were held. However, law enforcement officials have not publicly identified any suspects in the shooting. As of late 2025, there have been no announced arrests in connection with the homicide, and the investigation into the circumstances surrounding the fatal shooting remains ongoing. The community was left to grieve the sudden and violent loss of a young life, with questions about who was responsible for the act still unanswered.
