In the summer of 2022, a dispute over a pair of sunglasses tragically escalated, leading to the death of 25-year-old Kerry Gerrale Young Jr. in Gulfport, Mississippi. A Black male, Young was at the William Bell Apartments on 65th Avenue on the evening of July 2nd when the fatal encounter occurred. The argument, which had started earlier in the day, reignited when a 16-year-old acquaintance returned to the apartment complex.
Around 9:10 p.m., Gulfport police were dispatched to the scene
following reports of a shooting. Upon their arrival, they discovered Young suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. Emergency medical services transported him to a local hospital, but his injuries proved to be fatal. Another man at the location sustained a non-life-threatening injury from a stray bullet during the incident.
The investigation quickly identified the 16-year-old, Lional Cornelius Jackson, as the primary suspect. According to reports, after the initial argument, Jackson left and later came back, where he allegedly fired multiple shots at Young. The following day, authorities located and arrested Jackson, charging him with murder and aggravated assault. He was subsequently booked into the Jackson County Jail.
In February 2024, at the age of 18, Lional Cornelius Jackson appeared in court and pleaded guilty to reduced charges of manslaughter and an unrelated robbery from 2021. For his role in the shooting death of Kerry Young, Jackson was sentenced to 20 years for manslaughter, to be served consecutively with a 15-year sentence for the robbery, resulting in a total of 35 years of incarceration.
