Jaylin Rice
February 18, 2021· unknown, unknown, unknown
- Outcome
- unknown
In February 2021, Jaylin Rice, a 20-year-old Black man, was critically wounded while sitting in a vehicle at a gas station in Fort Wayne, Indiana during a dispute. Another man left the scene and then returned armed, opening fire. Rice was unarmed at the time and survived after being hospitalized in serious condition. The attack also killed two other young men, Anderson Retic and Joshua Cooper, both 19, drawing local grief and national attention to everyday gun violence in Black communities. In 2023, the shooter was convicted on multiple counts including murder and sentenced to an effective 190 years in prison, highlighting the severity of the crime and the punishment imposed by the justice system. Rice’s survival and recovery became part of community remembrance and discussions about gun violence, safety, and the value of Black life in spaces where people expect normal daily interactions, not deadly conflict.