On the morning of July 2, 2020, 27-year-old Kawana Tibbet, a female, went to her former apartment in Metairie, Louisiana, to retrieve her belongings. This apartment, located in the 4100 block of Hessmer Avenue, was one she had shared with her ex-boyfriend, Arnold Magee, 37, before the end of their five-year relationship. What began as a task to move on from a past relationship tragically escalated into a fatal encounter.
An argument erupted between Tibbet and Magee.
During the dispute, Tibbet received a phone call from her new boyfriend. The conversation with her new partner seemingly enraged Magee. He reportedly grabbed the phone and told the man on the other end, “You're not going to f--- with her anymore.” Sensing the immediate danger, Tibbet’s new boyfriend rushed to the apartment. However, by the time he arrived, it was too late.
As Tibbet attempted to flee in her car from the apartment complex's parking lot, Magee armed himself with a Bushmaster XM15-E2S rifle. He fired two shots at her vehicle. The first bullet missed, striking a nearby parked van. The second, however, found its mark, hitting Tibbet in the arm and causing devastating internal injuries. Despite being mortally wounded, Tibbet managed to drive across the street before crashing into another parked vehicle. She was found slumped over in the driver's seat and was pronounced dead at the scene.
Arnold Magee was arrested for the shooting. In his defense, he claimed that he acted in self-defense, alleging that Tibbet had tried to run him over. However, surveillance footage from the scene contradicted his account. In February 2024, a jury found Arnold Magee guilty of second-degree murder. The following month, he was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, probation, or suspension of sentence.
