In the winter of 2020, the community of Magnolia, Arkansas, was shaken by the tragic death of Daejon Joshua Mitchell, a 16-year-old Black male. On the evening of December 4th, in the parking lot of the Preston Apartments, Mitchell was shot in the chest. He was quickly taken to Magnolia Regional Medical Center, but the wound proved to be fatal, and he succumbed to his injuries.
Remembered as an honor roll student at Magnolia High School with a warm personality and a welcoming smile, his sudden death left a void in the hearts of his family and friends. A memorial service was later held at Resurrection Church on December 9, 2020, to honor his memory, and his funeral was conducted in Milwaukee, a city where he had lived for a significant part of his life.
The investigation into the shooting moved swiftly, and within days, law enforcement officials had made their first arrest. On December 5, 2020, 16-year-old Kobe Leichmon of El Dorado was apprehended during a traffic stop in Camden. It was alleged that Leichmon had taken his father's vehicle to drive to Magnolia, where the fatal shooting occurred. He was subsequently charged with first-degree murder and was held on a $1 million bond. The investigation did not end there, as authorities continued to pursue others believed to be involved in the incident.
A few days later, on December 10, 2020, the case saw further developments with the arrest of two more individuals from Stephens, Arkansas. Twenty-year-old Marquiese Porchia and a 17-year-old male were taken into custody. Both were also charged with first-degree murder in connection with Daejon Mitchell's death. Their bonds were set at $500,000 each as they awaited their court appearances. While the arrests brought a sense of progress in the case, the motive for the shooting was not made public, leaving a community to grapple with the senseless loss of a young life.
