Relatives say the 17-year-old had a close connection to the man now wanted in her fatal shooting.
BALTIMORE, Md. — The family of 17-year-old Jada Sellers is confronting a new stage of grief after police identified a former boyfriend as the suspect wanted in the shooting that killed the Milford Mill Academy student.
Baltimore police said Thursday, Aug. 20, that 18-year-old Christian Hursey is wanted in Sellers’ killing. An arrest warrant has been issued, and authorities have warned that Hursey should be considered armed and dangerous. Sellers’ relatives said the announcement carried an added emotional weight because Hursey had previously been close to the teenager and her family.
Sellers’ cousin, the Rev. Heber Brown III, told local news organizations that the family knew Hursey and had welcomed him into their lives. Brown said Sellers’ parents, Eric and Latarsha Sellers, had opened their home to him. Court documents cited by local news outlets also identify Hursey as Sellers’ former boyfriend. He has not been arrested, and the allegations against him have not been proven in court.
The shooting occurred around 12:15 a.m. July 31 in the 700 block of Lyndhurst Street in southwest Baltimore. Sellers was critically wounded and remained hospitalized for 12 days before dying Aug. 12. Police later obtained an arrest warrant after investigators reviewed surveillance footage and interviewed witnesses, according to court records described by local news organizations.
Before her death, Sellers was preparing for her senior year at Milford Mill Academy in Windsor Mill. Family members described her as a strong student with a wide range of interests. She was a member of the National Honor Society, served as vice president of the school’s Student Government Association and participated in athletics, cheer and dance.
Her death has been felt across the school community. Milford Mill Academy’s principal sent a message to families acknowledging that students, teammates, staff members and friends could experience grief in different ways. The school’s athletic program also memorialized Sellers and offered condolences to her relatives and friends.
Sellers had built connections outside school as well. The Baltimore Banner reported that she worked at Georgia Peach Soul Food, where staff members remembered her as a lively and valued part of their workplace. The restaurant’s public remembrance described a teenager whose personality left an impression on coworkers and customers.
Brown has said the family is relying on its faith and support from friends as the investigation continues. He also said relatives want Sellers’ death to become part of a broader effort to confront violence against women and girls. The family has emphasized that an arrest, if one occurs, would represent one step in a longer legal and grieving process.
Police and the U.S. Marshals Service are now searching for Hursey. Metro Crime Stoppers is offering up to $8,000 for information leading to an arrest, while the Marshals Service is offering another $3,500, bringing the combined reward to $11,500.
Funeral services for Sellers are scheduled for Aug. 29 at New Antioch Baptist Church in Windsor Mill, according to information reported by The Baltimore Banner. The homicide investigation remains open, and authorities had not announced Hursey’s arrest as of Friday.
Author note: Last updated August 21, 2026.