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Tiara Dancer, 17, was killed on the evening of January 28, 2020, in the Haven Acres neighborhood of Tupelo, Mississippi. She had recently graduated early from Tupelo High School. A physical fight between two men on Meadow Drive escalated into gunfire and a stray bullet struck Tiara, who was a bystander. Emergency responders pronounced her dead at the scene.
The Tupelo Police Department investigated and arrested 20-year-old Jacoby Samaji O'Neal of Belden. In October 2021 O'Neal pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, admitting he fired the shots that led to Tiara’s death. The Lee County Circuit Court sentenced him to 40 years, with five years suspended, and required him to serve the remaining 35 years. O'Neal also pleaded guilty to other unrelated felony charges in Pontotoc and Monroe counties.
Does anyone have memories of Tiara or information about that night on Meadow Drive that could add context to what happened?