In the late afternoon of August 10, 2023, a quiet neighborhood in Natchez, Mississippi, was shattered by gunfire. When the chaos subsided, two men lay dead on Myrtle Drive in what the Adams County Sheriff would call a "brazen ambush-style killing" in broad daylight. One of the victims was Taron Woods, a 24-year-old Black male from Natchez. The other man killed was 26-year-old Brandon Brooks. Both men had suffered multiple gunshot wounds and were pronounced dead at the scene.
Security camera footage captured the attack, showing three individuals in dark clothing, gloves, and full-face coverings carrying what appeared to be assault-style rifles.
Taron was a graduate of Natchez High School and had earned an Associate Degree in Applied Science from Copiah-Lincoln Community College. A diesel mechanic, he was the owner and operator of his own trucking company, T & J Truckin, LLC. He was a father to a son and a daughter and was engaged to be married. His family remembered him as someone who enjoyed vacationing with his children and friends, racing cars and ATVs, and working alongside his father.
The investigation into the double homicide led to the identification of several suspects within days. Authorities arrested 24-year-old Jadarrius James McKnight on two murder charges, while 17-year-old Jamarion Perkins turned himself in and was also charged as an adult with two counts of murder. A third individual, 18-year-old Zackeri Reason, was taken into custody and charged with accessory before the fact of murder; he was reportedly out on bond for a separate murder charge at the time.
A fourth suspect, 22-year-old Emanuel Hill, also known as Emanuel Hall, was identified, and warrants were issued for his arrest on two counts of murder. After speaking with his family for several days, Hill turned himself in to law enforcement in August 2023.
The case against Jamarion Perkins, Jadarrius McKnight, and Emanuel Hill went to trial in the Adams County Sixth District Circuit Court. Prosecutors presented a circumstantial case, using witness testimony and surveillance footage that showed the ambush, during which an estimated 55 rounds were fired. In November 2025, after deliberating for less than two hours, a jury found all three men guilty of two counts of first-degree murder.
Following the verdict, Sixth District Circuit Court Judge Carmen Brooks Drake sentenced each of the three men to two consecutive life terms in prison. The convictions and sentencing in November 2025 brought the case to a close.
