On the morning of July 16, 2022, 29-year-old Shamarkese Smith of McComb was shot and killed in a drive-by on Delaware Avenue after a dispute that began at a Mississippi nightclub. Known to friends and family as Dansha or Kese, Smith was driving a white BMW at about 4:30 a.m. when a vehicle pulled alongside and someone inside opened fire. Smith was pronounced dead at the scene from gunshot injuries.

Two passengers were also critically wounded: a 28-year-old man who was airlifted to a Jackson hospital, and a 13-year-old girl who was treated at a hospital in McComb. Investigators linked the shooting to an earlier altercation at the Ice House Club and publicly named Darnell Jacques Bright as a suspect, charging him with three counts of aggravated assault with extreme indifference to life and discharging a weapon within city limits. Police described Bright as armed and dangerous and asked for help locating him.