In what should have been a period of new beginnings, 26-year-old Lee Eric Evans, a Black man, found his life cut short on the streets of Jackson, Mississippi. On July 7, 2018, his body was discovered in an alley at the intersection of Central Street and Buena Vista Avenue, the victim of multiple gunshot wounds. Evans had moved to Jackson from California, seeking refuge from a past that was marred by violence.
He had survived several gun battles and bore the scars of previous shootings, hoping for a fresh start and an opportunity to turn his life around.
Living with his aunt, Marilyn Martin, in the historic Farish Street District, Evans was reportedly focused on this new chapter. Just days before his death, he had a chance encounter with a journalist, to whom he spoke about his life, the community, and the ever-present threat of crime. He even showed the journalist the scars from his past encounters with gun violence, a testament to the life he was trying to leave behind. He expressed a desire to see the neighborhood, a once-thriving hub of Black-owned businesses, rise above its struggles with neglect and violence.
The sense of hope for a different future was tragically extinguished. The violence Evans sought to escape ultimately found him. In the days following the discovery of his body, the Jackson Police Department, with the assistance of the U.S. Marshal Service, made an arrest. On July 11, 2018, 25-year-old Terrance Longino was taken into custody and charged with the murder of Lee Eric Evans. At the time of Longino's arrest, the motive for the fatal shooting remained under investigation, leaving a community to mourn and grapple with the senseless loss of a young man who had been striving for peace.
