Jaylen Whatley was 19 when he was killed late on Christmas Eve, December 24, 2023, on the 2400 block of North Church Street in Selma, Alabama. Court documents describe the attack as an ambush: his vehicle was struck by multiple rounds, he exited and fled, and the assailants allegedly chased him down and fired again until he was hit several times.

Initial questioning of two suspects occurred shortly after the killing, and those men were released at that time, leaving unanswered questions for the neighborhood. Investigators kept working, and in late January 2024 a multi-day fugitive operation by the U.S. Marshals Gulf Coast Regional Fugitive Task Force with local and state partners resulted in the arrests of two men, named in filings as Fredricquez Richardson and Frederick Whitt, on murder charges tied to Whatley’s death. The filings do not state a motive.

If anyone knew Jaylen, was in that part of Selma on December 24, 2023, or has information about the ambush and chase described in the filings, please share what is known.