Funeral arrangements announced for metro-east teen found shot to death in Missouri

Funeral arrangements have been announced for 17-year-old Jaimarcus McDaniel, who was found shot to death Jan. 9 in Jennings, Missouri.

Visitation is Saturday, Jan. 27. at 10 a.m. at Gethsemane Church, 1435 Baugh Ave., East St. Louis. The funeral service will follow at 11 a.m. at the church. Officer Funeral Home in East St. Louis is handling arrangements.

Illinois State Police are handling the investigation into Jaimarcus’ death, according to an announcement earlier this month. No arrests have been announced.

Jaimarcus’ grandmother, Emogene McDaniel, told the BND she believes her grandson was shot in East St. Louis and left in the field in Jennings.

Emogene has raised Jaimarcus and his two brothers since they were little boys after the death of their mother, who also was a victim of gun violence in 2009. Jaimarcus was in the car with his mother when she and two others were shot to death.

Last week, the featured speaker at the East St. Louis community commemoration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day talked about the teen’s slaying and its impact.

“This was somebody’s grandbaby,” the Rev. Darius T. Miller told the gathering at Morning Star Missionary Baptist Church. “This was a boy that held in his countenance our future. In the words of Ossie Davis, mourning the death of the late brother Malcolm X ‘This was our manhood, our living black manhood, shot down in the very spring of life.’”