JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) – If you missed a few of the most important headlines and need to play catch up, no worries. WLBT has gathered some of the top stories from our website to get you up to speed.
1. Zyre Smith released from Jackson hospital but still in recovery
Jefferson County High School girls basketball player Zyre Smith was released from Baptist Medical Center in Jackson Saturday afternoon, and remains in recovery care with her family. A senior standout for the team, Zyre suffered a severe concussion during her game last week and was rushed to Children’s of Mississippi Hospital for immediate attention. Zyre wasn’t able to speak following the injury for over 24-hours, but her mother, Marilyn Smith, recalled the powerful moment that she did for the first time. “When she spoke her first words, she said, ‘Where’s my coach? I wanna play basketball.’ And the tears just started rolling from both of us,” said Marilyn. The news that followed was nothing that Zyre Smith wanted to hear, but she says she’s focused on her goal and understands her health comes first. “I remember my mom telling me I can’t play basketball anymore,” said Zyre. “It was just so heartbreaking and overwhelming. But, hopefully, I’ll go on to play college basketball.”
2. Family of 15-year-old Sha’Maya Anderson relieved her suspected killer is behind bars
“He shouldn’t walk again in the free world. He don’t deserve that. We’ll never get past this. Me and my family are broken and torn.” A Jackson family is still devastated and heartbroken after losing the person they called “the life of the family.” All of these emotions pouring out after getting the news that their loved one’s alleged killer was arrested. Montravious Baker, 15, is charged with shooting and killing Sha’Maya Anderson, 15, in South Jackson on the corner of Meadow Lane and McCluer Road on January 4. Monday, Jackson Municipal Court Judge Jeff Reynolds denied bond for Baker. He described the 15-year-old as one of the most dangerous suspects he’s ever seen. In fact, police say the teenager has been involved in multiple crimes in the capital city.
3. Historical marker recognizing Freedom Riders unveiled at Parchman
History was made at Parchman prison Tuesday when a historical marker was unveiled and a former Freedom Rider returned, this time, not as an inmate, but as a guest of honor. “I dread coming here today,” said Hezekiah Watkins. It has taken Watkins 62 years to confront what he describes as the worst day of his life, revisiting Cell Block 17 at Parchman Prison. It’s where he and 328 other Freedom Riders were taken as punishment for protesting segregated bus and train terminals in Mississippi and across the Deep South. Hezekiah Watkins said, “I really wasn’t a Freedom Rider. I was just a 13-year-old boy who went to the bus station to look at the freedom riders; not to be one, I just wanted to see what a Freedom Rider looked like.”
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