In the late hours of a Saturday night, the quiet of a Lamar County road was broken by a tragic discovery. On February 1, 2020, deputies from the Lamar County Sheriff's Department were dispatched to the 200 block of Ray Bridge Drive near Hattiesburg, Mississippi, following a 911 call a few minutes before midnight. The caller reported a man lying on the side of the road, a victim of a gunshot wound to the head. The man was identified as Samuel Henry Lee, Jr., a 28-year-old Black man from Hattiesburg.
First responders found Lee critically injured and immediately transported him to a local hospital. Due to the severity of his injuries, he was subsequently transferred to another medical facility. Despite the efforts to save him, Samuel Henry Lee, Jr. succumbed to his injuries. The investigation that followed determined that he had been shot outside a home in Lamar County. His body was then taken to the state crime lab in Jackson for an autopsy to officially determine the cause of death.
The Lamar County Sheriff's Department urged the public to come forward with any information that could lead to the individuals responsible for this violent act. However, the case has grown cold. To date, there have been no arrests made in connection with the murder of Samuel Henry Lee, Jr., and no suspects have been publicly identified. The investigation remains open, a painful and unresolved chapter for the family and friends of a young man whose life was cut short.
