In the quiet town of Aberdeen, Maryland, the life of 14-year-old Jai'den Alexander Winchester was tragically cut short on a late Saturday night. On November 2, 2024, just before midnight, police responded to a call on the 200 block of Center Deen Avenue where they found the young Havre de Grace High School ninth-grader with a gunshot wound to the head.
Despite the efforts of first responders, Jai'den, who was also a junior varsity football player, was pronounced dead at the scene.
The investigation into the shooting quickly led to an arrest. A fellow 16-year-old student from Havre de Grace High School, Kevin Cortez Kinsey Jr., was taken into custody. Authorities have charged Kinsey as an adult with a slate of serious offenses, including first and second-degree murder, first-degree assault, reckless endangerment, and various firearms offenses. The shooting is being investigated as a homicide, with police stating that evidence points to an intentional act rather than an accident, despite some social media speculation to the contrary.
Details from charging documents reveal a grim picture of the moments that preceded the fatal shooting. Following a Halloween party that had been shut down, Jai'den and Kinsey, who were reportedly classmates and football teammates, were in a car with four other people. Witnesses stated that an exchange of words between the two teenagers escalated, with Kinsey allegedly telling Winchester, 'Stop playing with me i'll blow you,' moments before a gunshot was fired. According to the reports, Kinsey initially fled the scene before returning, expressing that he didn't mean to shoot Winchester and needed to find the gun, which was later recovered and found to be registered to his father. Kinsey later told police the shooting was an accident. He is currently being held without bond.
