In the early morning hours of March 24, 2024, a sense of unease settled over the small city of Millen, Georgia. The tranquility was shattered when officers from the Millen Police Department were dispatched to the Annie P. Chance Veteran's Center on Acorn Avenue around 1:45 a.m. following reports of a shooting. Upon their arrival, they discovered a grim scene. Twenty-eight-year-old Tyrell Brown, a male from Garfield, was found with a gunshot wound. Alongside him was 48-year-old Maxine Jones of Millen. Both were pronounced dead at the scene. While Brown's injury was immediately apparent, Jones showed no initial signs of trauma. The bodies of both victims were transported to the GBI Crime Lab for autopsies to determine the official cause of death. The subsequent examination revealed that both Brown and Jones had succumbed to gunshot wounds.
As the investigation into the double homicide began, another incident unfolded just a few hours later. Around 7:10 a.m., another shooting was reported on Wasdin Street. Investigators believe this second shooting was connected to the initial incident at the veteran's center, though fortunately, no one was injured in the subsequent event. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation was called in to assist the Millen Police Department with the case.
The investigation quickly led to a suspect, 28-year-old Raheem Whitfield of Waynesboro. He turned himself in to authorities and was subsequently arrested and charged with felony murder, aggravated assault, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime. Whitfield was booked into the Jenkins County Jail, where he was later denied bond. Further investigation by a grand jury led to more serious charges for Whitfield, who was indicted on two counts of malice murder and two counts of felony murder, among other charges.
The case took another turn when a second suspect was identified and indicted by the grand jury. Shenice Thompson, a candidate for Jenkins County Tax Commissioner, was indicted on eleven counts, including malice murder and felony murder, in connection with the deaths of Brown and Jones. After a bench warrant was issued for her arrest, Thompson, who was out of state at the time, made arrangements to turn herself in. She surrendered to the Jenkins County Jail to face the charges brought against her.
