On May 18, 2009, 21-year-old Justin Cosby of Cambridge, Massachusetts, was fatally shot in the basement of Kirkland House J entry at Harvard University. Cosby, a 2005 graduate of Cambridge Rindge and Latin School, had no known ties to Harvard. Investigators linked the shooting to a planned robbery tied to marijuana: Cosby was reportedly selling marijuana and the suspects intended to rob him inside a locked, gated undergraduate residence.

Three suspects were identified and taken into custody. Jabrai J. Copney, 20, turned himself in to Cambridge police on May 21 and was charged with murder on May 22; he was arraigned on July 22 on five charges related to the crime. Blayn Jiggets, 19, was arrested in New York on June 9 and awaited extradition; he was later indicted on July 30. Jason Aquino, 23, was arrested on July 30 and was scheduled for arraignment the next day. Text messages tied Copney to drug sales on campus, and two Harvard undergraduates, Brittany Smith of Lowell House and Chanequa Campbell of Kirkland House, were removed from campus and denied permission to graduate because of their involvement in the case.

Harvard officials said the shooting raised urgent concerns about campus security, gated entries and illicit drug use, and called for reinforcing safety practices and educating students about the risks of drugs. If anyone knew Justin, his movements that day, or has information about the robbery plan, please come forward.