On the evening of June 19, 2026, 16-year-old Jalil Jones was shot in the 800 block of Mount Zion Road in Clayton County, Georgia. Family and friends described him as bubbly, bright, funny and a go-getter who was looking forward to getting his driver’s permit. Emergency services arrived around 6 p.m.; Jalil was taken to a nearby hospital and died of his injuries. Family friends say he was trying to protect a younger boy who was being bullied when the confrontation escalated and gunfire erupted.

The Clayton County Police Department says the shooting stemmed from an ongoing dispute among several individuals that turned fatal. The U.S. Marshals Service assisted the Clayton County Sheriff’s Office in arresting a suspect, identified as Joshua Drew Clinton, who was booked into the county jail and faces multiple charges including murder, aggravated assault, reckless conduct, cruelty to children, battery and tampering with evidence; detectives allege Clinton was involved in a separate shooting after Jalil’s death, prompting additional charges. No conviction or sentence has been reported.

Did anyone in the Jonesboro area know Jalil or see what happened that evening?