In the early morning hours of June 1, 2021, a dispute on a Jackson, Mississippi street escalated into deadly violence, claiming the life of 36-year-old Antwan Howell. Howell, a Black/African American male, was shot multiple times at the intersection of Winchester Street and Highland Terrace. The Hinds County Coroner later confirmed that multiple gunshot wounds were the cause of his death.
The incident stemmed from an altercation that took a fatal turn.
The investigation into Howell's murder led Jackson Police Department investigators, with assistance from U.S. Marshals, down a complex path with initial misdirection. Initially, two women, 35-year-old Constance Burgess and 35-year-old Janice Fletcher, identified another man, Jaylen Lawson, as the shooter. Lawson subsequently surrendered to the authorities. However, as the investigation progressed, detectives uncovered conflicting information provided by Burgess and Fletcher, leading to the charges against Lawson being dropped.
Authorities then identified 29-year-old Ashton White as the primary suspect in Howell's death. He was apprehended and charged with murder, as well as being a felon in possession of a firearm. The two women who had initially pointed to a different suspect, Constance Burgess and Janice Fletcher, were both arrested and charged with hindering the prosecution in the first degree for their role in providing misleading information to law enforcement during the critical early stages of the investigation.
