Jertia Tia Evans, a 23-year-old female, had a bright future ahead of her. Having recently graduated from Mississippi State University with a degree in Fashion and Design in May 2021, she was already making a name for herself as an entrepreneur with her own beauty and fashion brand, 'Touched By Tia'. Her life, however, was tragically cut short on the night of June 5, 2021, in Jackson, Mississippi.
On that fatal evening, Jertia was sitting outside a home on Barbara Ann Drive when a dark-colored Ford Escape reportedly drove by and unleashed a barrage of gunfire at the residence. Struck by the gunfire, Jertia sustained fatal injuries. Investigators from the Jackson Police Department recovered multiple shell casings at the scene, including those from a. 223 assault rifle and a. 40 caliber handgun. It is believed that she was not the intended target of the shooting.
The investigation into her senseless death led authorities to believe the shooting was an act of retaliation for a robbery that had occurred earlier at a tennis court on Oak Forrest Drive. In connection with the shooting, police arrested 40-year-old Ernest Guise, who was subsequently charged with murder. The case highlighted the ongoing issue of gun violence in the Jackson community. In the wake of her death, family and friends gathered for a balloon release to honor the memory of a young woman who was described as having a bright, friendly, and positive personality that could light up a room.
