Charles Brown, a 21-year-old Black man, was killed on February 4, 2024, in a shooting in Jackson, Mississippi. The violence unfolded in the 300 block of Red Oak Drive, where Jackson police began investigating what authorities classified as a homicide and aggravated assault. When officers reached the scene, they found Brown suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
At least one other person was also wounded during the shooting, although authorities did not publicly identify that victim or provide a subsequent update on the person’s condition.
The investigation quickly produced an arrest. On February 8, four days after Brown was killed, Jackson police took 15-year-old Christian Powell into custody. Police accused Powell of opening fire at the Red Oak Drive residence and charged him with capital murder in connection with Brown’s death as well as aggravated assault in connection with the other person who was wounded. Authorities did not publicly disclose a motive for the shooting or provide a detailed account of what led to the gunfire.
The case expanded the following day when investigators announced two additional arrests. On February 9, police arrested 19-year-old Kentrevious Smith and 16-year-old Jaylen Woodard. Both were charged with capital murder in Brown’s death. Their arrests brought the number of people accused in connection with the killing to three. Police did not publicly explain the alleged roles of Smith and Woodard or specify whether investigators believed all three suspects fired weapons during the attack.
Brown’s killing therefore resulted in capital murder charges against Powell, Smith, and Woodard, with Powell also facing an aggravated assault charge stemming from the second shooting victim. Contemporary police and news reports described the investigation as ongoing and continued to seek information from anyone who knew more about the circumstances surrounding the shooting. Publicly available reporting located through September 2026 does not document a subsequent trial, guilty plea, conviction, acquittal, or dismissal resolving the charges against the three defendants, leaving the publicly reported record centered on their arrests and the serious charges filed after Brown’s death.
