Shortly after midnight, the victim Jessyka Brown and her boyfriend were sitting and talking on the steps of the Womens Civic Center at 2972 Clay Avenue (the center was closed). A confrontation occurred wherein one or more suspects approached the couple and began shooting. It is believed the boyfriend was the initial target of the attack; however the boyfriend escaped injury. Brown died at the scene. Investigators do not believe the boyfriend shot Brown. However, they do believe the boyfriend knows more about the suspects and about what happened than he is saying.

A uniformed officer was in the parking lot of Central Division and heard the gunshots. The officer put the information out on the radio at the same time that several residents on 2900 Clay Avenue phoned in reports of shots being fired. Responding units located the scene and the victim within three minutes.

Witnesses described the shooter as a male, probably black, of average height and slim build and possibly in his early 20s based on his build and the way he moved.

One witness provided second-hand information that the shooter left in a red car that was parked on the corner of 30th and Clay Streets. Another witness saw the shooter running southbound on 30th Street with a second male and did not see a red car.

Brown was described by one of her sisters as family oriented and good with children. Brown left behind a two-month old baby boy.