Destini Jemerson, 16, was killed in the early morning of February 26, 2022, while riding as a back-seat passenger in Charleston, Mississippi. The vehicle was on Martin Luther King Drive, returning toward Quitman County after Destini had spent the day visiting a friend. A single gunshot struck her in the back; two male friends, 17 and 18, who were with her were uninjured and drove to the Tallahatchie County Jail seeking help. Destini was pronounced dead at the scene.

Charleston police initially treated the shooting as a random act of violence. Investigators recovered shell casings and a cell phone at the scene; that evidence led to the identification of 18-year-old Terrance Brooks as a suspect. Brooks turned himself in and was arrested and charged with Destini’s murder. The motive for the shooting has not been established, and the community and Destini’s family continue to seek answers.

If anyone who knew Destini or who was in that area on February 26, 2022 has information, please come forward.