Demonta Jaquis Brown, a 32-year-old Black male from Tyler, Texas, died after being shot during the early hours of October 9, 2025. Police were called around 2:24 a.m. to a home in the 1800 block of North Grand Avenue, where Brown was found with gunshot wounds and transported to a local hospital, where he died of his injuries. A woman at the scene was also shot multiple times and survived; police noted she was someone with whom the shooter had, or previously had, a relationship.
Investigators said the violence stemmed from a confrontation tied to an alleged purse theft, a dispute that escalated into gunfire. In arrest documents, the accused claimed self-defense, but detectives wrote that the victim never physically touched him before the shots were fired. The case cast a pall over the North Grand Avenue neighborhood, where officers worked through the morning to process shell casings and interview witnesses as daylight broke.
By that morning, Tyler police had identified and arrested 35-year-old Kendrick Dawone Ross of Tyler. He was charged with murder in connection with Brown’s death and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon for the injuries to the woman; his bonds were set at a combined $1.5 million, and he was booked into the Smith County Jail. The charges and the self-defense claim will be weighed in court as the investigation continues.
Brown’s death drew remembrances and condolences from family and friends, who described him by his given name and the nickname “Mack Gee” in funeral notices and memorials posted in the days after the shooting. Obituary listings confirmed his date of death as October 9, 2025, with local services arranged in Tyler. Online memorial pages likewise marked the loss and collected tributes, underscoring the community’s grief.
