On the evening of February 14, 2016, a dispute inside a Rite Aid on McDowell Road in Jackson, Mississippi, ended in the tragic death of 48-year-old Kenneth Barnes. The incident, which took place just before 9 p.m., escalated from a verbal altercation between Barnes and a store employee, 29-year-old Eleysia Perkins.
According to witness statements and surveillance footage, the argument continued as Barnes was leaving the store.
It was at this point that Perkins allegedly retrieved a firearm from the back of the store and shot Barnes multiple times. The multiple gunshot wounds proved to be fatal.
Jackson Police Department officers who responded to the scene took Perkins into custody. Following an investigation that included reviewing evidence and interviewing witnesses, Eleysia Perkins was charged with murder in connection with the shooting. It was reported that Barnes and Perkins had a prior acquaintance, though the specific nature of their relationship and the details of the argument that led to the shooting were not immediately made public. Perkins was subsequently held without bond as the case proceeded to the Hinds County Grand Jury.
