On July 28, 2024, at approximately 7:27 p.m., Greensboro police responded to a call concerning an individual lying motionless on a picnic table under a pavilion in a park located in the 2900 block of Haig Street. The caller mentioned hearing sounds resembling fireworks about an hour earlier. Upon closer inspection, the individual was found unresponsive with injuries consistent with gunshot wounds. The victim was identified as 19-year-old Jakala Marie Goode, who was pronounced dead at the scene.
Following an investigation, on August 12, 2024, Greensboro police arrested 27-year-old Kevin Zaire Lavaughn McLean, Goode's boyfriend, in Fayetteville, North Carolina. He was charged with first-degree murder in connection with Goode's death. During a court hearing, prosecutors revealed that Goode's belongings, found near her body, contained items linking her to McLean. Surveillance footage from nearby residents reportedly showed McLean following Goode to the park, where they stopped to talk before he allegedly shot her multiple times at close range. After the shooting, McLean was seen walking back to his apartment on Queensberry Court.
McLean was transported back to Greensboro and is being held without bond in the Guilford County Jail. Authorities have stated that they are not seeking any additional suspects in this investigation at this time.
