Jaden Brown, a 21-year-old man from Houston, died on April 17, 2026, after a shooting at an apartment complex in Metairie, Louisiana. The night began with a call to authorities around 10:30 p.m., when Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office deputies were sent to the 2300 block of Severn Avenue. Inside the living room of one of the apartment units, they found Brown unresponsive and suffering from at least one gunshot wound to the chest.
He was pronounced dead at the scene.
At first, Brown's name was not released publicly while authorities worked to notify his family. The Jefferson Parish Coroner's Office later identified him as the victim killed in the Metairie apartment shooting. His obituary described him as someone whose death left a deep emptiness for his family, friends, and community, and said he was survived by his parents, Jason Brown and Katrelle Gabriel, along with siblings and other relatives. Funeral services were scheduled for May 2, 2026, at Marine Baptist Church in New Orleans.
Investigators said the case moved quickly after deputies arrived at the apartment complex. During the investigation, they located 23-year-old Shaquille Lemay of New Orleans inside a vehicle in the parking lot of the same location. Lemay was taken into custody there and later brought to the Jefferson Parish Correctional Center. Authorities booked him on a charge of second-degree murder in connection with Brown's death.
Officials did not immediately release a motive, and public reports did not state what led up to the gunfire. They also did not say whether a weapon was recovered, whether there were witnesses inside the apartment, or whether Brown and Lemay knew each other before the shooting. One memorial post left for Brown said his alleged killer was someone he thought was his friend and that the accused was out on bond, but public law enforcement reports available at the time focused mainly on Lemay's arrest and the second-degree murder charge.
Because the killing happened recently, there were no publicly available details about a trial, plea, conviction, or sentencing. Lemay was described as an accused suspect, and the case remained an active investigation after his arrest.
