A late Friday night in the small town of Brooksville, Mississippi, turned tragic, leaving two young men dead and another person wounded. On that evening in December 2021, 24-year-old Nakiren Ratcliff was with 18-year-old Dewanedrian Johnson and another individual in a vehicle at a local convenience store on U.S. 45. It was there, at approximately 11:20 p.m., that gunfire erupted.
The immediate aftermath was chaotic. Dewanedrian Johnson was pronounced dead at the scene.
Nakiren Ratcliff, gravely wounded, was airlifted to the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson for emergency treatment. Despite the efforts of medical personnel, he succumbed to his injuries and passed away on December 4, 2021. The third person in the vehicle was also injured in the attack.
The investigation into the double homicide was handled by the Noxubee County Sheriff's Department and the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation. For nearly a year, the case remained under investigation until a significant breakthrough occurred in October 2022. Two men, Jaquraus Wells and Kendal Thomas, were arrested and charged in connection with the fatal shooting.
The charges brought against the two suspects were severe. Jaquraus Wells was charged with two counts of capital murder and one count of aggravated assault. Kendal Thomas faced charges of two counts of capital murder, aggravated assault, and drive-by-shooting. Bond for Wells was set at $1.2 million, and Thomas's bond was set at $1.3 million, with the two being held in separate detention facilities. It was also reported that Wells had been arrested earlier that year for a separate, unrelated shooting incident.
Nakiren De'arrius Laquan Ratcliff, born on January 28, 1997, was a graduate of Noxubee County High School and had attended Itawamba Community College. He was a father to a son and a daughter. At the time of his death, he was working for the United States Postal Service and also held a part-time job at a convenience store.
