In the late spring of 2022, Ciara Jackson, a 14-year-old African American girl from the Houston, Texas area, traveled to Mobile, Alabama, to spend the summer with her family. An incoming freshman at Waller High School, Ciara was looking forward to her visit, but her trip was cut short by a senseless act of violence.
On the night of May 31, 2022, Ciara was riding in the front passenger seat of a car with friends on Michael Donald Avenue.
Suddenly, the vehicle was caught in a hail of gunfire. Investigators later determined that approximately 20 rounds were fired from at least two different weapons, striking the car about 10 times. Ciara was hit in the chest by a bullet that struck her vital organs, and she died from her injuries at the scene. She was the only person in the car who was injured.
The investigation quickly revealed the shooting was a tragic case of mistaken identity. Authorities learned that a group of men had been lying in wait on the street, expecting to be attacked by another group in retaliation for a previous incident. When the car carrying Ciara turned onto the street, the gunmen opened fire, believing it was their intended target. Police officials expressed their heartbreak over the death, with one sergeant making an emotional plea to address the gun violence affecting Black children in the city.
Three individuals were arrested in connection with the homicide: Archie Petite, Lamonyae Forrest, who was 18 at the time, and Semaj James, who was 16. In March 2024, a Mobile County grand jury indicted all three on capital murder charges. A judge later ruled in June 2024 that Forrest and James, despite their ages at the time of the crime, would be tried as adults. All three defendants pleaded not guilty.
Archie Petite was the first to stand trial. During the proceedings, his co-defendant, Lamonyae Forrest, testified against him. Forrest told the jury that Petite fired the first shot at the car. He testified as part of an agreement with prosecutors, who agreed to recommend a 20-year prison sentence in exchange for his testimony. Forrest also told jurors that he was the one who called 911 and tried to help Ciara after the shooting.
On October 8, 2026, a jury found Archie Petite guilty of capital murder. In the years following her granddaughter's death, Ciara's grandmother, Freida Jackson, founded an organization called "Ciara's Cause" to advocate against gun violence. As of Petite's conviction, the capital murder charge carried an automatic sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.
