Tyniya Powell, a 20-year-old Black woman, was shot and killed alongside her boyfriend, Jamarion Barnes, 21, on the evening of June 20, 2022, in Jacksonville, Florida. The couple had parked their Toyota Corolla next to an ATM in a shopping center parking lot on Bowden Road when they were ambushed. When officers arrived, they found Barnes lying on the ground outside the driver's door; he was pronounced dead at the scene. Powell was found next to the passenger side and succumbed to her injuries at a local hospital.
Friends described Tyniya Powell as a precious life taken too soon, remembering her as very smart, sweet, loving, and caring. Jamarion Barnes was the father of a 9-month-old daughter and, according to his family, wanted to be a good, loving father. The tragedy was the second to strike his family that year; his 20-year-old brother, Jelijah Barnes, had been murdered just three months prior.
Community members and the organization MAD DADS held a vigil to honor the young couple and support their grieving families.
The investigation was aided by surveillance footage from across the street, which captured the attack at 9:18 p.m. The video showed a man in dark clothing getting out of the back seat of the Corolla, opening the driver's door, and then fleeing. Investigators later determined the man shot both victims within seconds of their arrival at the ATM before grabbing a bag from the car and running away. The motive appeared to be drug-related, as the killer had arranged to meet the couple to purchase drugs.
Tips from the community helped detectives identify a suspect. On August 3, 2022, the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office, with assistance from the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force, arrested 20-year-old Raishion Gist and charged him with two counts of murder. The gun used in the killings was later recovered after Gist gave it to someone to pay off a debt; ballistics testing connected it to shell casings found in the victims' car.
In May 2024, a jury deliberated for just under three hours before finding Raishion Gist guilty of two counts of first-degree murder and two counts of armed burglary. Two months later, in July 2024, a Duval County judge sentenced Gist to life in prison, stating that the aggravating factors in the case left him no other choice.
