In the summer of 2019, a sweet sixteen birthday party at Propst Park in Columbus, Mississippi, took a tragic turn, ending the life of 16-year-old Arykah Patrice White. On the night of July 20th, a fight broke out at the celebration. As the altercation spilled outside the park's community center, shots were fired into the crowd. Arykah, an innocent bystander who was not involved in the dispute, was struck by the gunfire and pronounced dead at the scene.
The Columbus Police Department swiftly began an investigation. Thanks to vital tips from the public, a suspect was identified and apprehended within three days of the shooting. Seventeen-year-old Curtis Lathan was arrested and charged with the murder of Arykah White. The investigation was a collaborative effort involving the Columbus Police Department, the Lowndes County Sheriff's Office, and the Columbus Lowndes Drug Task Force.
In August 2022, a Lowndes County Circuit Court jury convicted Curtis Lathan of second-degree murder for his role in Arykah's death. He was subsequently sentenced to 40 years in prison. Lathan later appealed his conviction, arguing that the jury's verdict was not submitted in the proper form and that his age at the time of the crime should have been considered as mitigating evidence during sentencing. However, the Mississippi Court of Appeals upheld both the conviction and the 40-year sentence. Arykah Patrice White, a student at Columbus High School, was remembered by her family and the community, her life tragically cut short in a senseless act of violence.
