Briddell Barber and the 2017 Yazoo City Quadruple Murder
Background
Briddell Barber, whose first name was also reported as Bridell in some accounts, was a Yazoo City, Mississippi, man responsible for five killings committed during two separate nightclub shootings in 2016 and 2017. Barber was 27 years old when the second and deadliest attack occurred. The violence culminated in the deaths of four men outside a Yazoo City nightclub during the early morning hours of February 6, 2017.
The 2017 shooting was not Barber’s first alleged homicide. At the time of the quadruple murder, he had already been charged in connection with the March 20, 2016, shooting death of Justin “Butch” Porter. Barber had been released on bond while that earlier murder case was pending, placing him back in the community before the four additional killings occurred.
The 2016 Killing of Justin Porter
On March 20, 2016, Justin “Butch” Porter was shot and killed at or near Club Teflon in Yazoo City. Porter was 25 years old. Investigators identified Barber as the person responsible, and Barber was charged in connection with the killing.
Although the Porter homicide occurred nearly eleven months before the quadruple shooting, it later became part of the same prosecution. Authorities ultimately treated the two incidents as a series of murders committed by Barber, and his eventual guilty plea covered Porter’s death along with the four killings committed in February 2017.
The February 6, 2017 Nightclub Shooting
During the night of February 5 and the early morning of February 6, 2017, people gathered for a Super Bowl party at Club 66, also identified in reports as the L & L Lounge. The nightclub was located on West 11th Street in Yazoo City, Mississippi.
At approximately 1:00 a.m., an argument developed involving Barber and people at the club. Investigators said Barber became angry because another man intended to give Barber’s girlfriend a ride home from the party. The disagreement escalated after the group moved into or near the nightclub parking lot.
Barber produced a firearm and opened fire, striking multiple people. Jerrandan Allen, Edward Johnson, Kevin Johnson and Gabriel Townsend were killed. The sudden attack left four men dead at the same location and transformed what had been a social gathering into one of the deadliest acts of violence in Yazoo City’s recent history.
The victims were found in the nightclub parking-lot area at 263 West 11th Street. Law-enforcement officers secured the scene and began gathering statements and physical evidence while other agencies searched for Barber.
Confirmed Victims
- Justin “Butch” Porter — Killed on March 20, 2016, at or near Club Teflon in Yazoo City, Mississippi. Porter was 25 years old.
- Jerrandan Allen — Killed on February 6, 2017, outside Club 66, also known as the L & L Lounge, on West 11th Street in Yazoo City, Mississippi. Allen was reported as 22 years old in victim records.
- Edward Johnson — Killed on February 6, 2017, outside Club 66/L & L Lounge in Yazoo City, Mississippi. Johnson was reported as 36 years old in victim records.
- Kevin Johnson — Killed on February 6, 2017, outside Club 66/L & L Lounge in Yazoo City, Mississippi. Johnson was 30 years old.
- Gabriel Townsend — Killed on February 6, 2017, outside Club 66/L & L Lounge in Yazoo City, Mississippi. Townsend was 35 years old.
Arrest and Alleged Confession
Authorities located Barber later on February 6, 2017. A United States Marshals Service task force arrested him in Jackson, Mississippi, on the same day as the nightclub killings. He was returned to Yazoo County to face charges arising from the four deaths.
Investigators said Barber admitted during questioning that he had committed the killings. Authorities charged him with capital murder because multiple people had been killed during the same criminal episode. The earlier case involving Justin Porter was also pursued against him.
The revelation that Barber had been free on bond in the Porter murder case when the quadruple shooting occurred generated criticism and concern. Families and residents questioned how a defendant accused of an earlier nightclub killing had been released before the case was resolved.
Capital-Murder Prosecution
Prosecutors prepared to try Barber for the deaths of all five men. The 2017 nightclub attack supported a capital-murder prosecution because Barber had killed multiple victims during one continuous act of violence. A conviction at trial could have exposed him to the death penalty.
The prosecution incorporated evidence from both shootings, including witness accounts, the circumstances surrounding the nightclub argument, Barber’s arrest and his statements to investigators. The five deaths were ultimately resolved together rather than through completely separate trials.
Guilty Plea and Sentence
In November 2021, more than four years after the quadruple murder, Barber appeared in Yazoo County Circuit Court and pleaded guilty to capital murder for killing five people. His plea formally established his responsibility for Justin Porter’s 2016 death and the February 2017 deaths of Jerrandan Allen, Edward Johnson, Kevin Johnson and Gabriel Townsend.
Judge Barry Ford sentenced Barber to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. The sentence ensured that Barber would remain incarcerated for the rest of his life. By accepting the plea agreement, Barber avoided a capital trial in which prosecutors could have sought a death sentence.
Impact on Yazoo City
The killings devastated several families and shocked the Yazoo City community. Four men were lost in a matter of moments outside a local nightclub, while another family had already been grieving the earlier death of Justin Porter.
The case became particularly troubling because the 2017 attack occurred while Barber was awaiting prosecution for the 2016 killing. The sequence of events intensified public debate about bond decisions, community safety and the handling of defendants charged with serious violent crimes.
Barber’s guilty plea brought the criminal prosecution to an end, but it could not reverse the losses suffered by the victims’ relatives. Five men died in two shootings connected to Yazoo City nightlife, and Barber’s life-without-parole sentence reflected the scale and finality of the violence he committed.
