Smith County Homicide Investigation Underway

SMITH COUNTY — Smith County Sheriff’s Deputies responded to a possible deceased person call just before 8:00 Saturday morning. According to our news partner KETK, the body was found on the side of the roadway on the 2700 block of Old Gladewater Hwy. When deputies arrived, they found a man, identified as Jerome James, 49, dead from a gun shot wound. An autopsy has been ordered. Anyone with information is urged to contact the Smith County Sheriff’s Office at (903) 566-6600. Tyler Police and the Smith County Sheriff’s Office are investigating whether four homicides in eight days could be connected. Police have said they suspect at least two of the recent killings are linked and possibly drug-related. The Sheriff’s Department along with the Tyler Police Department will hold a press conference for media on Monday at 3:00pm.