In the early afternoon of January 31, 2024, the Russell neighborhood of Louisville, Kentucky, was shattered by an act of violence that claimed the life of 22-year-old Corey Dillard. A Black male, Dillard was one of four men found inside a vehicle at the intersection of 12th Street and West Muhammad Ali Boulevard, all suffering from gunshot wounds. Emergency services were called to the scene around 12:30 p.m., but for Dillard, it was too late; he was pronounced dead at the scene.
The
three other men in the vehicle were rushed to a local hospital in critical condition. The following day, the tragedy deepened as a second victim, identified as 22-year-old Jagger Thomas Zahnd, succumbed to his injuries. The conditions of the two surviving victims were not publicly disclosed as the community grappled with the brutal reality of the daylight shooting. The incident prompted an immediate and intensive investigation by the Louisville Metro Police Department's Homicide Unit, who appealed to the public for any information that could lead to the apprehension of those responsible.
For months, the case remained without a resolution, leaving the families of the victims and the community in a state of uncertainty. Then, on December 13, 2024, a significant breakthrough was announced. Through the collaborative efforts of the LMPD Fugitive Unit and the Harrison County Sheriff's Office, a suspect was apprehended in southern Indiana. The individual taken into custody was identified as 21-year-old Skylar McAdams. Following his arrest, McAdams was slated to be extradited to Kentucky to face two counts of complicity to murder in connection with the fatal shooting. This marked the first and, to date, only arrest made in the case that cut short the lives of Corey Dillard and Jagger Thomas Zahnd.
