JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) – The family of a Jackson State University (JSU) student, who was killed on campus in 2022, has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the university.

The family of Flynn Brown, 22, of New Jersey, said employees of Jackson State engaged in negligent acts or omissions and/or displayed reckless disregard for the safety of Brown.

Brown was found dead inside a vehicle on JSU’s campus on Friday, December 2, 2022. He had been fatally shot in the head. Randall Smith, 20, of New Orleans, was taken into custody and was later charged with murder.

The lawsuit stated that Brown and two of his other suitemates experienced a series of thefts involving their belongings, and they suspected Smith was the likely perpetrator. The lawsuit claims they reported the thefts to JSU employees, but the university failed to initiate an investigation into Smith.

During a preliminary hearing in December 2022, Smith claimed he killed Brown in self-defense. According to Smith, Brown had repeatedly taken his food and belongings in the past. He said Brown had taken doughnuts out of his hand, and the matter escalated. He claimed that Brown began to choke him until he couldn’t breathe, so he grabbed a gun and shot Brown in self-defense.

Suitemates said they didn’t hear a gunshot, but they heard loud music. One of the suitemates, who is a JSU football player, said he was getting ready for practice when he saw the door open and blood inside. He told one of his coaches who then called campus police.

Video footage showed an unidentified person going to the Dodge Charger that Brown was found in around 2:30 a.m. According to investigators, it appeared that Smith tried to flee and cover up the scene.

At the preliminary hearing, Smith was given a $200,000 bond and 270 days of GPS monitoring.