Lehemiah LeMarcus Simon was 7 when he was fatally wounded inside a vehicle parked on the 1400 block of Main Street in Jeanerette, Louisiana, on the evening of Wednesday, December 22, 2021. He was in the car with a 15-year-old cousin who found a firearm and, while examining it, a single shot discharged and struck Lehemiah in the head. Emergency responders had him airlifted to a nearby hospital, where he later died.

The Jeanerette Police Department, led at the time by Police Chief Dusty Vallot, investigated the shooting and described it as an accident. Investigators determined the death was unintentional and no charges were filed against the 15-year-old relative. The community mourned the loss of a child so close to Christmas.

If anyone has information about the circumstances that evening or remembers seeing the vehicle on Main Street, please share what you know.