In the pre-dawn hours of March 31, 2022, the quiet intersection of Lansbrook and E. Bethany in North Little Rock, Arkansas, was broken by the sound of gunfire. Responding to a 911 call, police officers arrived to find a young man lying in the roadway, suffering from at least one gunshot wound. The victim, identified as 17-year-old male Jaylen Brown of Little Rock, was rushed to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries.
Despite the efforts of medical personnel, he later succumbed to his injuries.
The North Little Rock Police Department immediately launched a homicide investigation, with detectives canvassing the scene for evidence and conducting interviews to piece together the events that led to the fatal shooting. For weeks, the investigation continued as authorities sought answers and pursued leads to identify those responsible for Jaylen Brown's death.
Nearly two months later, on May 25, 2022, a breakthrough in the case came when detectives obtained arrest warrants for four individuals. The following day, on May 26, four teenagers were taken into custody in connection with the shooting. The suspects were identified as 16-year-old Joseph Dickerson, 18-year-old Cortlen Waters, and 17-year-old twins Janovee and Jacovee Brown, all from Little Rock. Each of the four was charged with first-degree murder, and the three juvenile suspects were charged as adults. They were transported to the Pulaski County Regional Detention Facility and held without bond. In September 2024, it was reported that two of the men charged in connection with the slaying had pleaded guilty.
