Timothy James Smart, a 20-year-old Black male resident of Meridian, Mississippi, became the victim of a fatal shooting on the afternoon of February 17, 2016. The incident occurred near the intersection of 20th Street and 30th Avenue, where he sustained multiple gunshot wounds. Emergency responders transported him to a local hospital for surgery, but he ultimately succumbed to his injuries that same day.
Detectives with the Meridian Police Department quickly launched an investigation into
the homicide, appealing to the community for information and following up on witness descriptions. Within a week of the shooting, investigators identified a primary suspect and moved to make an arrest. Authorities took 19-year-old Jarvis Jermaine Hampton into custody, charging him with murder in connection with the death. Police stated at the time that evidence gathered at the scene and witness accounts had linked Hampton to the crime.
Despite the initial arrest and charge, the case against Hampton did not result in a criminal trial for the killing. When the evidence was presented to a grand jury to secure an indictment, the jurors returned a "no true bill," a legal determination indicating that there was insufficient evidence to proceed with the prosecution for murder. As a result, Hampton was not indicted for the shooting. While he would later face federal convictions and a lengthy prison sentence in 2025 for unrelated drug distribution charges, no one was ever convicted for the death of Timothy Smart.
