It’s the kind of Wednesday night that shouldn’t end with yellow tape and flashing blue lights. But on May 6, 2026, for 21-year-old Zadarius Olando Merritt, a trip down Southbrook Drive in Jonesboro turned into his final moments. Just after 8 p.m., something went horribly wrong, and a neighborhood was shattered by the sound of gunfire. When cops rolled up to the 4400 block, they found Merritt bleeding from his left side, the life literally pouring out of a young man who should’ve had decades ahead of him. They rushed him to a local hospital, lights and sirens cutting through the dark, but it was a losing battle. The doctors did what they could, but Zadarius Merritt was gone, leaving behind a whole lot of questions and a family plunged into grief.
The cops didn’t have a chance to breathe before they started putting the pieces together. Within hours, they had their eyes on two 19-year-olds who they figured were neck-deep in whatever went down. The Jonesboro Police Department played their cards close to the vest, but a few details slipped through the cracks of the official report. They flagged the whole mess as a “domestic violence” situation, which tells you this wasn’t some random street mugging gone wrong—this was personal, a dispute that boiled over in the worst possible way. Merritt took a bullet to the side and another hit to his left arm, a detail that paints a picture of pure chaos and close-quarters terror down in South Jonesboro.
Now, here’s where it gets a little wild and the investigation started threading through the state. The two suspects didn’t stick around to chat with officers. No, they apparently bolted, leading law enforcement on a chase straight east into Crittenden County. That’s a solid hop away, suggesting they knew they were in a world of trouble and were trying to put as much pavement between themselves and that crime scene as possible. But you can’t outrun a radio, and folks in Crittenden County were ready. A person of interest was scooped up fast, and eventually, officials confirmed both a 19-year-old male and a 19-year-old female were cooling their heels in jail, booked on heavy charges and waiting for Jonesboro’s finest to come pick them up.
It didn’t take long for the big name to drop. Authorities zeroed in on Rodarious Turrelle Johnson, a 19-year-old from West Memphis, and slapped him with a first-degree murder charge. This wasn’t a charge for a bar fight; this was the big leagues, an accusation that he’s the one who decided Merritt’s story would end on that pavement. Johnson’s from West Memphis, which is basically right next door to Crittenden County, making the getaway path make a whole lot more sense. The female suspect’s name is still being kept in the dark, likely because the cops are still figuring out exactly where her role begins and ends in this tragic play.
Zadarius Merritt’s life, at just 21, ended violently, and the whole thing reeks of a confrontation that got way out of hand. The report labels it a domestic beef, meaning these folks likely knew each other, maybe too well. One minute you’re dealing with whatever life throws at you, the next you’re staring down the barrel of a gun held by someone you probably recognized. That’s the kind of betrayal of trust that makes this shooting especially chilling. There’s no justification, just a mess of young people whose lives collided in the most permanent, wrecking way possible.
As of right now, the police are keeping the rest of their cards hidden. They’re investigating, talking to everyone who might know something, and promising more details will drop when they’re ready. For the Merritt family, no amount of legal paperwork will fill the hole left at the dinner table. A 19-year-old faces a lifetime in a cage if proven guilty, and a 21-year-old who called Jonesboro home will never get to see what tomorrow brings. It’s a senseless chapter in the city’s story, a reminder that when tempers and firepower mix in a domestic clash, the Southbrook Drive outcome is just about the worst thing you can imagine.
