The holiday season in Jackson, Mississippi, was marred by a violent tragedy on Christmas Eve, December 24, 2025. Officers from the Jackson Police Department were summoned to a residence located in the 100 block of Lynn Avenue to investigate reports of a shooting. Upon arrival at the scene, law enforcement discovered two males suffering from severe injuries.
Among the victims was 22-year-old Rodney Gilbert Jr., who had sustained fatal gunshot wounds.
Alongside Gilbert, authorities found 20-year-old George Smith Jr., who had also been shot multiple times. Despite the response from emergency services, both men succumbed to their injuries, casting a pall over the community during what is typically a festive time. The Hinds County Coroner later confirmed the identities of the victims. The double homicide was part of a wave of violence that swept through the city over the holiday period, occurring just hours before other unrelated shootings were reported in different parts of Jackson.
As of the latest reports, detectives have not announced any arrests specifically connected to the deaths of Gilbert and Smith. While police detained individuals related to a separate incident on Luter Lane that occurred the following day, the investigation into the Lynn Avenue double slaying remains active and ongoing. The Jackson Police Department continues to solicit information from the public, urging anyone with knowledge of the events leading up to the shooting to contact Crime Stoppers as they work to identify the perpetrators responsible for ending the lives of the two young men.
