On a tragic spring evening, the life of 19-year-old Jaquavin Kentrelle Tyson of Byhalia, Mississippi, was cut short. The Black male was fatally shot on April 1, 2023, during a horse show event in the Chulahoma Community on O'dell Road in Marshall County. The gathering, attended by over 100 people, descended into chaos when gunfire erupted. Tyson was pronounced dead at the scene by the coroner. Another individual, 20-year-old Quenicy Jenes, also from Byhalia, was critically injured in the shooting and airlifted to a medical center in Memphis, Tennessee.
The investigation into the shooting moved swiftly. Law enforcement officers, including the Marshall County Sheriff's Department, the Gulf Coast Fugitive Task Force, and U.S. Marshals, identified a suspect. On the evening of April 2, 2023, just a day after the incident, 17-year-old Jamerion Laquez Powell of Chulahoma Road was arrested at his residence. Authorities charged Powell with one count of murder for the death of Jaquavin Tyson and one count of attempted murder for the injuries sustained by Quenicy Jenes.
Following his arrest, Jamerion Laquez Powell had his initial appearance in Marshall County Justice Court. The judge set his bond at $1 million for the murder charge and $500,000 for the attempted murder charge. A preliminary hearing was scheduled for April 17, 2023. As the legal process began, investigators conducted an extensive search of the area along O'dell Road in an effort to locate the weapon used in the commission of the crime. The community was left to mourn the loss of the young man, who was a member of the Union Valley MB Church where he sang in the choir and worked as an automobile detailer.
