The Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office arrested 18-year-old Jaquarious Dionta Brooks in connection with the homicide of 18-year-old Jaraquist Cunningham in Artesia, Mississippi. Cunningham was a student at West Lowndes High School.
The incident occurred at an Artesia basketball court just before 7 p.m. Brooks was taken into custody after his mother contacted Sheriff Eddie Hawkins and requested to turn him over to law enforcement. Hawkins met with the family in the area and placed Brooks under arrest in connection with Cunningham’s death.
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The investigation remains ongoing as investigators gather evidence, document witness statements and pursue additional leads. Anyone with information can contact the Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office at 662-328-6788 or Golden Triangle Crime Stoppers at 1-800-530-7151. Anonymous tips may be submitted through the P3Tips App.
Jon Ross Myers founded Mississippi News Group in 2013. Before founding the organization, he worked at The Daily Mississippian, The Marion Salute and The Southern Sentinel. A Mississippi journalist and writer based in Ripley, he received second place in poetry in the 2025 William Faulkner Literary Competition for "The Garden."
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