In the small Mississippi Delta town of Drew, a tragic story of violence unfolded on the evening of February 15, 2024, claiming the life of 22-year-old Ibn Burnett. A Black male, Burnett, along with a friend, fell victim to a fatal shooting that sent ripples through the tight-knit community. The incident occurred around 5:50 p.m. on Broadway Street, where police discovered two male victims with multiple gunshot wounds.
One was found in the driver's side of a vehicle, and the other was lying on the street.
The violence that cut short Ibn Burnett's life was not the first tragedy to strike his family. His father, Christopher “Zeke” Burnett, was also murdered in Drew in February 2013. This earlier loss had a profound impact on the family, and Ibn was said to have been soft-spoken like his father. He was working at a Walmart in nearby Cleveland and was also training to become a barber, hoping to follow in his late father's footsteps.
In the aftermath of the shooting, the Drew Police Department made two arrests in connection with the double homicide. Tacquiera Turner, 21, surrendered to the police shortly after the incident. Subsequently, 20-year-old Miracle Miller, also from Drew, was arrested and charged with murder, with police alleging she was the driver during the shooting. The motive for the killings was described by the Drew Police Chief as a possible crime of passion.
The community was left to grieve the loss of two young men, both of whom were graduates of Thomas Edwards Senior High School in Ruleville. The families of both the victims and the accused were known to each other, adding another layer of complexity and sorrow to the tragic events. As the legal process began for the two women charged, the town of Drew was once again forced to confront the devastating consequences of gun violence.
