Mylin Jenkins Remembered As 'Beautiful Inside And Out'
DETROIT – By all accounts, Mylin Jenkins had a bright future in front of him. He was an aspiring model who dreamed of becoming a dentist and moving to Atlanta or Los Angeles. He turned 24 on Friday, Oct. 2. Three days later, he was dead.
Jenkins was leaving a birthday party that had been thrown in his honor in the early morning hours of Monday, Oct. 5 when the tragedy occurred outside a home on Detroit's west side. He was in the driver's seat of his parked car when a passenger in the back seat of the car, identified as 17-year-old Devin Simms, shot him in the head. Simms then allegedly removed Jenkins from the car and sped off in it.
Later that day, Simms held a SWAT team at bay for nearly two hours as he sat armed and barricaded in a house on Ohio Street. Eventually, he surrendered without incident. Simms was charged with felony murder, carjacking, resisting and obstructing a police officer and felony firearm.
But if police believe they know who did it, Jenkins's family is still struggling with why.
"Everyone seems to be just as shocked as we are," said Jenkins's sister Nygeria Ligon. "There are so many different stories."
Most people, however, are simply talking about Jenkins and how special he was. He worked at Petco, was pursuing his associate's degree from Oakland County Community College and was known for loving the night life.
"He was a real joyful person, fun," said his brother Darrick McConnell. "You could be down or mad and he'd call you or walk in the room and your spirits would lift. Even if you were irritated with him you couldn't stay mad at him for long because he had a great personality."
And, above all, he loved to party.
"He was a turn up king," McConnell said. "He could go all night with you. He could drink you under the table. He could dance you under the table. He was the life of the party."
"That boy could dance his butt off," said David Perrett, a friend of Jenkins. "We came out together. There was a large group of us who used to hang out together and he was the youngest person in the group. He was always just a really cool sweetheart.
"He had really positive energy and as long as I've known him he's never been tied up in drama," Perrett continued. "Of course, we know he was absolutely gorgeous, but he was also very talented … and he would always keep you laughing and joking."
Jenkins's sister concurred.
"Mylin was beautiful inside and out," Ligon said. "He had a great heart. He was very ambitious and loving … such a loving individual."
Visitation will take place Wednesday from 5-9 p.m. at Jeter Memorial Funeral Home in Detroit, which is located at Chicago Street and at Oakman Boulevard. Funeral services will take place 11 a.m. Thursday at Word of Faith Christian Center in Southfield on Evergreen Road and West Nine Mile Road.
BENEFIT FUNDRAISER ANNOUNCED: To help with costs for the funeral, a benefit fundraiser will take place Monday, Oct. 12 at the Woodward Cocktail Bar, which is located at 6426 Woodward Ave. in Detroit. Donations can also be made to a gofundme page the family has set up. The page can be found at http://www.gofundme.com/ny5skqbc
