BROOKHAVEN — McNair Smith donned a red Lincoln County youth baseball hat as he stepped up before a crowd of TV station reporters and justice advocates Wednesday morning. Smith, like others, was longing for the same thing on the Lincoln County Courthouse steps, justice. 

Several advocates called for justice in cases outside of the FedEx Shooting case with D’Monterrio Gibson. 

Smith said he wanted to specifically bring up the murders of Bridget Hall and Julian Gayten. Both lost their lives nine years ago and neither family has received justice for the loss of life. Further, he claimed there are about 15 to 16 murders which remained unsolved in Brookhaven. 

“Brookhaven it is time to stand up and step up. Let’s get these cases solved,” Smith said. 

Hall was shot multiple times at close range in her home on Vivian Merritt Street on July 6, 2015. Her kids were in the home at the time of the shooting and several witnesses saw assailants flee the residence but could not identify them. 

Julian Gayten, 22, of 703 North Jackson St, was killed in a Christmas Eve shooting in 2015 along with Jaquarius Jones. The Daily Leader reported in 2018 it appeared Jones was attempting a robbery and they shot each other. 

The Daily Leader reported Marionne Keys was arrested and charged with conspiracy to commit robbery and conspiracy after the fact to commit murder after police said she had discussed robbing the Gayten residence with Jones through text messages, while she had also been in contact with Gayten.

Police said at the time that she pitted Gayten and Jones against each other. Keys was arrested again in 2023 on a City warrant. 

A woman who identified herself as “Johnnie,” said she was seeking justice for her niece Shanecia Ferdinand and Ferdinand’s brother, 30-year-old LaDarius Rockingham. 

“They took three bullets each,” Johnnie said. “They gave Kelvin White a bond and let him out of jail a year later. The injustice in Brookhaven is greater than I’ve ever known. We are working diligently and we are seeking justice. There is so much injustice. Something is going on that needs to be stopped.”

The family previously spoke at a Brookhaven Board of Aldermen meeting. A grand jury failed to indict White in August. 

Rico Cain, Brookhaven Chapter President of the NAACP, asked everyone present to ask themselves what if it was their son, daughter, sister or brother who were involved in those cases. The injustice is not new, he said. 

“Under the very steps you stand on today there are blood stains of Lamar Smith,” Cain said. “He was registering voters in front of this courthouse and was shot down by white men and left laying in his own blood for hours. Nobody has ever been arrested. What if that was your brother or your sister. You would want justice.”’

According to FBI reports, Mack Smith, Noah Smith and Charles Falvey were arrested for the murder but an all white jury failed to indict the men despite numerous witnesses. A sign in front of the courthouse ensures Smith’s story remains told. It is also a sobering reminder of a historical injustice.