A 32-year-old Las Vegas man, Devonnie Smith, was shot and killed on December 2, 2025 around 2 a.m. Smith had recently been granted probation on a gun charge and was celebrating with friends when the incident occurred.
According to News3LV, Smith was at an apartment on the 400 block of South 15th Street, near Charleston Boulevard, with his girlfriend and a friend. The group grilled steaks to mark the occasion of Smith’s probation sentence for firing a gun into an occupied structure.
According to an arrest warrant obtained by authorities, Smith’s girlfriend told police that he had stepped outside to make a phone call when she heard what she initially thought were fireworks. Moments later, she found Smith lying on the ground.
Jaivone Jackson, 31, has been arrested in connection with Smith’s death. Jackson, a former Nevada Department of Corrections inmate with prior convictions for child abuse and sex trafficking, was present at the gathering that evening. According to his arrest report cited by 8 News Now, an altercation between Jackson and Smith outside the apartment allegedly led to the fatal shooting, after which Jackson fled the scene.
Investigators identified Jackson following a tip from a woman claiming knowledge of the incident, supported by surveillance footage and a witness statement. He turned himself in at the Clark County Detention Center on December 19, 2025 and is being held without bail. Jackson faces charges including murder, robbery with the use of a deadly weapon, possession of drugs, and being a felon in possession of a firearm. He is scheduled for a preliminary court hearing on January 5.
