Shanti Lewis was 18 and a recent graduate of Gadsden County High School when she was killed in a drive-by shooting in Quincy, Florida, on August 26, 2022. The shooting occurred just before 10 p.m. on West Crawford Street. Quincy Police report Lewis was driving west near South Ninth Street when her vehicle was struck multiple times by gunfire from another vehicle that had been behind and then beside her. Two passengers in Lewis’s car were uninjured; Lewis died at the scene.

Investigators identified 23-year-old Arderrious Makey Smith as the primary suspect. Smith was already under investigation in a separate fatal shooting on August 21, 2022, that killed 20-year-old Quadre Kirkland. Authorities say victims’ vehicles in both incidents were found riddled with bullet holes. Smith was arrested and charged in connection with Kirkland’s death, and also faces charges of first-degree murder and two counts of attempted murder for Lewis’s killing. The arrest followed a multiagency effort involving the Quincy Police Department, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the Florida Highway Patrol, and the State Attorney’s Office.

City officials and law enforcement have described steps toward violence reduction, including counseling and education programs, gun buy-back efforts, and increased enforcement. Does anyone in Quincy have information about what happened that night or knew Shanti and can help fill in details?