In the early morning hours of April 28, 2013, a private party held at Wolfe Enterprises on East Main Street in Jackson, Tennessee, ended in tragedy. As the event was letting out shortly after 3:00 a.m., an argument erupted in the parking lot, quickly escalating to gunfire. When police arrived at the scene, they discovered two men on the ground with apparent gunshot wounds.
One of these men was 31-year-old Brian Jontez Banes.
Banes, along with Delandis Cortez Clark, also 31, were transported to a local hospital where they were both pronounced dead from their injuries. Two other individuals, a 32-year-old man and a 22-year-old woman, also sustained gunshot wounds during the incident but survived after arriving at the hospital by personal vehicles. The chaotic scene was crowded with potential witnesses, many of whom dispersed before law enforcement could interview them.
The Jackson Police Department's investigation into the double homicide led them to a suspect within a couple of weeks. On May 8, 2013, the department's Gang Task Force arrested 31-year-old Anthony Montrell Swift. He was subsequently charged with two counts of first-degree murder for the deaths of Banes and Clark. At the time of his arrest, Swift was found in possession of a loaded. 45 caliber revolver and additional bullets, though it was not immediately confirmed if this was the weapon used in the killings.
Another individual, Travontay Tremont Berry, was also implicated in the events of that morning. While not a suspect in the homicides, it was determined that he was present and fired his own weapon into the air during a fight that preceded the fatal shootings. Berry later admitted to disposing of his gun. He was ultimately convicted of tampering with evidence and carrying a firearm with the intent to go armed, receiving a sentence of four years for the felony conviction and a consecutive term for the misdemeanor.
