On a summer evening in Lexington, Kentucky, a violent altercation unfolded that tragically ended the life of 35-year-old Steven Dwayne Mayes. The incident, which occurred on July 15, 2022, was the culmination of a domestic dispute that escalated to fatal consequences. That night, police responded to a call around 11:20 p.m. and discovered Mayes with severe injuries in the vicinity of Octavian Way and Accord Drive.
Despite efforts to save him, including CPR at the scene and transportation to the University of Kentucky medical center, Mayes was pronounced dead at 11:54 p.m.
The investigation into the shooting revealed a complex and distressing backstory. According to court documents, the events leading to the fatal shooting stemmed from the assault of a minor. Witnesses reported seeing a woman, later identified as 37-year-old Dekeisha Smith, holding a minor on the ground while Mayes struck the minor with a handgun. It was alleged that Smith had encouraged Mayes to shoot the minor. In the midst of this assault, 20-year-old Deymontez Jones fatally shot Mayes.
In the aftermath of the shooting, the legal process determined that the killing of Mayes was a justified homicide. A grand jury declined to indict Deymontez Jones on any charges related to the homicide itself. However, for his act of discharging the firearm, Jones was indicted on a charge of second-degree wanton endangerment. Dekeisha Smith was also held accountable for her role in the preceding events, facing an indictment for second-degree assault related to domestic violence for her attack on the minor.
