Javone Smith

Javone Smith was a 23-year-old resident of Jersey City whose life, promise and ties to his neighborhood were cut short on April 6, 2020. Public records and contemporary news accounts identify him by name, age and the place where he lived and spent his days: the streets and communities along Martin Luther King Drive in Jersey City. Those accounts show he was taken to Jersey City Medical Center after being shot on the evening of April 6 and was pronounced dead later that day.

While an extended, family-penned obituary has not been located in publicly available funeral-home or newspaper records matching the exact date of death, multiple reliable news and official reporting outlets confirm Javone’s identity, age, and the date he died. The reporting that follows Javone’s death also documents the local criminal proceedings that arose afterward: a person charged in connection with the shooting later pleaded guilty to aggravated manslaughter and was sentenced in 2022. These legal facts are part of the public record but do not define who Javone was.

Public coverage of the time places Javone in the life of Jersey City — a young adult connected to family, friends and neighbors who noticed and felt his absence. Contemporary local articles referenced the local streets and intersections where he lived and where the events that ended his life took place, underscoring that he was part of a real community of people who knew him personally.

Because there is no family-published obituary located in the sources consulted, this remembrance focuses on what is verifiable: Javone was a young man of 23 from Jersey City whose life mattered to the people around him. Though the public record available to researchers is limited and concentrates on the tragic circumstances of his death and subsequent court proceedings, Javone’s life existed beyond those headlines. He belonged to a neighborhood and to people who expected to see more of him in the years ahead.

If family, friends, or local institutions wish to add personal memories, photographs, or tributes to this page — stories of who Javone was in ordinary moments, what he loved, the ways he made others laugh or feel cared for — those remembrances will help give a fuller, warmer portrait of his life. For now, this page honors Javone by recording the verified facts with care and by acknowledging the human loss felt by his community.