In the quiet town of Natchez, Mississippi, a young man's life was tragically cut short on Valentine's Day in 2016. Revonne Corey Jr., a 20-year-old Black male, was fatally shot while sitting in the front passenger seat of a car on Homochitto Street. The incident unfolded when a friend in the backseat, 19-year-old Melvin Watts Jr., was reportedly handling a. 40-caliber semi-automatic pistol.
The firearm discharged, sending a single bullet through the seat and striking Corey.
The driver of the vehicle, 17-year-old Kadeem Conner, rushed his friend to Merit Health Natchez, but Corey was pronounced dead shortly after 11 p.m. The subsequent investigation by the Natchez Police Department revealed a grim picture. The weapon used in the shooting was discovered to be stolen, and a search of the car uncovered other stolen firearms and suspected marijuana.
In the wake of the shooting, authorities moved swiftly. Melvin Watts Jr. was slated to face charges of manslaughter and possession of a stolen firearm. Kadeem Conner was also charged as an adult with possession of a stolen firearm and possession of marijuana in a motor vehicle. The Adams County Coroner sent Corey's body to the state crime lab for an autopsy as the investigation continued.
Revonne Corey Jr. was remembered as a promising young man with a bright future. A 2014 graduate of Natchez High School, he was attending Copiah-Lincoln Community College at the time of his death. He was an active member of the Jerusalem Missionary Baptist Church and had a passion for football and basketball. His sudden and violent death sent shockwaves through the Natchez community, leaving his family and friends to grapple with the senseless loss of a life taken too soon.
