Jazken Green

Jazken D. Green, known affectionately to his loved ones as "Moo Moo," was a 26-year-old Black man from Verona, Mississippi. His life was cut short in March 2018, leaving a void in his community. Friends and family gathered to remember him at The Sky is the Limit Ministry in Tupelo for his funeral, and he was laid to rest at Porter Memorial Garden. His passing is remembered as a profound loss for those who knew him.

On the afternoon of Thursday, March 22, 2018, gunfire erupted at a car wash in Verona. Jazken Green was shot during the incident and was rushed to the North Mississippi Medical Center in Tupelo for treatment. Despite the efforts of medical staff, he succumbed to his injuries the following day, on March 23, 2018. The shooting shattered the peace of the small Mississippi town and launched a complex homicide investigation.

The Verona Police Department, led at the time by Chief J.B. Long, quickly began piecing together the events that led to Green's death. The investigation identified two men as persons of interest. One was Latavious Betts, who was arrested and placed on an investigatory hold. During questioning, Betts denied any knowledge of the murder or being present at the car wash. The second individual, 27-year-old Jarnavis Chandler, was publicly named as a suspect. On March 27, 2018, Verona Police announced that Chandler was wanted for murder in connection with the fatal shooting. The U.S. Marshals Service joined the search, and authorities warned that Chandler should be considered armed and dangerous.

The legal path for Latavious Betts following his initial arrest was complicated and controversial. He was released from custody, a decision that drew public scrutiny when he was subsequently charged in other violent crimes. In July 2018, he faced aggravated assault charges for a shooting at a convenience store. Later that year, in December, Betts was involved in a drive-by shooting that killed 66-year-old Annie Walton and injured four others. He eventually pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and aggravated assault for the shooting that killed Walton. However, according to a 2023 court document from the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, Latavious Betts was not convicted in connection with the shooting death of Jazken Green.

While the legal outcome for one of the initial persons of interest is known, the case remains unsettled. Following the initial announcement that law enforcement was searching for Jarnavis Chandler in March 2018, no further public information has been made available regarding his apprehension, or if he was ever formally charged or cleared in the investigation into Jazken Green's murder.

As of the latest available information, the homicide of Jazken Green remains a case with unanswered questions. The Verona Police Department has not announced any other arrests or convictions directly related to his death. The community continues to await full resolution and justice for a young life taken too soon. Anyone with information regarding the shooting is encouraged to contact the Verona Police Department.