In the small town of Drew, Mississippi, the evening of February 15, 2024, was shattered by violence that claimed the lives of two young men. Kendrick Austin, a 23-year-old male, and his friend, Ibn Burnett, 22, were fatally shot. The Drew Police Department received a call about a possible shooting on Broadway Street, near Park Avenue, around 5:50 p.m. Responding officers discovered a grim scene: one victim was inside a vehicle, and the other was lying on the street.
Both men had sustained multiple gunshot wounds and were pronounced deceased at the scene.
The investigation into the double homicide quickly led to arrests. Tacquiera Turner, 21, surrendered to the police shortly after the incident. Her family reportedly contacted the police department and arranged for her to be brought to the station. Subsequently, authorities arrested a second suspect, 20-year-old Miracle Miller, also of Drew. Miller is alleged to have been the driver during the shooting. Both women have been charged with murder and were held at the Sunflower County jail without bond. The motive for the shooting is being investigated as a possible crime of passion.
Kendrick Austin was a 2020 graduate of Thomas Edwards Senior High School in Ruleville. He was remembered by a former teacher as a respectful and humble young man who always had a smile on his face. His unexpected death, alongside his close friend, sent ripples of grief through the tight-knit community, leaving family and friends to mourn the tragic loss.
