In the late afternoon of June 17, 2021, a burst of gunfire shattered the quiet of a parking lot outside an apartment complex on Winnie Street in Lexington, Kentucky. When the echo of the shots faded, 38-year-old Jocko Dianti Green, a Black male, was left with life-threatening injuries. Police were called to the scene around 3:50 p.m. and found Green, who was then rushed to the University of Kentucky Chandler Hospital.
Despite medical efforts, he succumbed to his gunshot wounds at approximately 7:00 p.m. that evening. The Fayette County coroner's office later confirmed his identity and the cause of death.
In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, Lexington police had no suspect information and appealed to the public for any information that might lead to an arrest. Investigators were uncertain if any surveillance footage of the incident existed. The community was left with questions and a sense of loss, as another life was tragically cut short by gun violence. Green was a husband and father, and his obituary remembers him as a man with a great heart who was loved by his family and friends, known for a smile that could light up any room.
The investigation progressed, and on June 25, 2021, the Lexington Police Department publicly identified 26-year-old Danzell Cruse as a suspect in Green's murder. A warrant was issued for his arrest, and he was considered armed and dangerous. A search for Cruse ensued, culminating in his apprehension on July 8, 2021, in the nearby city of Frankfort. The arrest was a collaborative effort involving the U.S. Marshals Service and the Frankfort Police Department. Cruse was subsequently charged with murder, possession of a handgun by a convicted felon, and a parole violation.
Danzell Cruse's case moved through the legal system, and in a turn of events, the murder charge was amended. After mediation between the prosecution and his defense attorney, Cruse pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of second-degree manslaughter. His defense claimed that he acted in self-defense. In August 2022, a judge sentenced Cruse to eight years in prison for the killing of Jocko Green. The charges of possessing a handgun as a convicted felon and being a persistent felony offender were dismissed as part of the plea agreement.
