In the summer of 2023, the life of 15-year-old Denarius Hayes was cut short by an act of gun violence in Edwards, Mississippi. On the evening of July 14th, Hayes was at the Brandon Arms Apartments on Highway 467 when shots rang out. He was struck multiple times and rushed to a local hospital before being airlifted to the University of Mississippi Medical Center.
For ten days, he fought for his life, but ultimately succumbed to his injuries.
The investigation into the shooting led to the swift identification and arrest of several individuals. Initially, a 17-year-old, Raymond Townsend, was taken into custody and charged with aggravated assault. Following Hayes's death, that charge was upgraded to murder. Townsend was charged as an adult. The Hinds County Sheriff's Department continued to pursue leads, resulting in the arrests of four other suspects.
In the days that followed, 20-year-old Keith Lee, 19-year-old Demarcus Mixon, and 21-year-old Justin Campbell were all apprehended and charged with murder. A fifth suspect, 21-year-old Kanaya Jones, was also taken into custody and faced the same charge. All five individuals were booked into the Raymond Detention Center. While a definitive motive was not publicly released by law enforcement, the victim's mother indicated that she believed the shooting may have been the tragic culmination of an ongoing dispute that had started during the school year.
