In the late afternoon of January 29, 2024, tragedy struck in Tifton, Georgia, when 33-year-old Brendan Rashad Burns, a Black male, was fatally shot. The incident occurred at approximately 5:30 p.m. in the parking lot of a car wash situated near the intersection of West 17th Street and South Central Avenue. Burns was inside his vehicle when a man approached him from behind and opened fire.
He sustained a fatal gunshot wound and was pronounced dead at the scene.
The ensuing investigation, conducted by the Tifton Police Department with assistance from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, quickly identified a suspect. The man, 34-year-old Xavier Sean Ross of Tifton, was located at Tift Regional Hospital suffering from a gunshot wound he sustained during the incident. After receiving medical treatment, Ross was taken into custody. The violence of the act was underscored by the fact that stray bullets from the shooting struck other vehicles in the vicinity. In a terrifyingly close call, one bullet hit the door of a passing car, just inches away from a 2-year-old child secured in a car seat.
Following his arrest, Xavier Sean Ross faced a series of serious charges, including felony murder, aggravated assault, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. The case proceeded through the legal system, culminating in a jury trial. On November 20, 2025, a Tift County jury found Ross guilty of malice murder, felony murder, five counts of aggravated assault, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime.
The final chapter of the legal proceedings took place on February 13, 2026. A Tift County Superior Court Judge sentenced Ross, then 37, to life in prison without the possibility of parole, with an additional 25 years to be served consecutively. This sentence ensured that the man responsible for the death of Brendan Burns and for endangering the lives of others, including a young child, would be held accountable for his actions.
