Fourth suspect arrested after Mississippi killings of toddler, mother and aunt, police say
By Chris Boyette, Amanda Musa, Karina Tsui, CNN
(CNN) — A fourth suspect has been arrested in connection with a shooting that left a 2-year-old child dead alongside his mother and aunt last week in Jackson, Mississippi, officials announced Thursday.
The suspect, who was not publicly identified, was arrested in Texas and faces a capital murder charge, Jackson Police Department Chief RaShall Brackney said at a news conference.
Keyana Weathersby, 25; her son Camari Givens, 2; and her sister Erica Weathersby, 30, were found dead Saturday night in a home in Mississippi’s capital city with multiple gunshot wounds, according to the coroner’s office.
Three other suspects were detained earlier this week. Mikayla Young, 25, was arrested on Tuesday and made her initial appearance in court on Wednesday and was denied bond, police said. Young is charged with capital murder, according to Hinds County inmate records.
The first two suspects were arrested on Monday and identified as Cornelius Carter and Jordan Carter, both 28 years old, Brackney said at a news conference late Monday.
The two men, who are not related to each other, face charges of capital murder. Cornelius Carter also faces a charge of being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm.
Both men were denied bond on Tuesday, Brackney said in an update posted to Facebook following a preliminary court hearing.
The suspects do not have legal representation yet, according to the Hinds County Public Defender’s Office.
What we know about the suspects
Both men have an extensive criminal history, according to CNN affiliate WLBT.
Jordan Carter was indicted in April 2017 on charges of aggravated assault, kidnapping and carjacking, WLBT reported.
Cornelius Carter — who was wearing an ankle monitoring device at the time of the shooting, affiliate WLBT reported — also has a track record with the law.
Cornelius Carter faced indictments in April 2015 for hitting three Jackson Police Department detectives while driving, WLBT reported. While being held on assault charges, he was charged for attempting to escape from the Hinds County Detention Center and causing damage to the facility.
Brackney said Thursday officials would not comment or speculate on motive, but said the shooting was a “targeted attack” and not random.
Police also declined to comment on there was a connection between the victims and the suspects.
The case is still under investigation, according to Brackney. The police chief previously noted there were “other persons of interest” but did not comment Thursday whether more people have been linked to the shooting.
Who were the victims?
In a statement late Monday, Jackson Mayor John Horhn said: “We will continue working every day to ensure that everyone responsible is brought to justice. This effort will continue.”
“My prayers are with the family and loved ones who are carrying this loss,” he wrote.
The sisters, who were raising the toddler together, were kind and hardworking, their brother, Demarco Bailey, told CNN affiliate WAPT.
“I just need justice,” Bailey said. “Not only for my sisters, but my nephew. He’s only 2 1/2 years old. Come on now — a 2-year-old child?”
An investigation remains underway involving local, state and federal law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, Brackney said.
Police called the shooting “targeted” and said that it was “an intentional attack at this home.”
“This is a heinous crime,” Brackney said at a news briefing early Sunday morning, calling those responsible cowardly and “the vilest of human beings.”
Every first responder “was visibly affected by just how heinous and violent this crime was,” said Hinds County Coroner Jeramiah Howard.
Details around the suspects’ capture
The two men were arrested after law enforcement identified a vehicle connected to the shooting and attempted a traffic stop, Brackney said. The driver did not stop, but officers were able to safely surround the vehicle, she said.
Officers responded to the scene after a 911 call reporting an aggravated assault at a home in a residential neighborhood less than 10 miles northwest of downtown Jackson, Brackney has said.
The crime scene was one of the worst Howard said he’d seen in about 10 years of working as a coroner and deputy coroner. Police described it as “horrifying.”
Three guns – a 9mm, an AR-style pistol and an unknown gold-colored handgun – were recovered when the suspects were taken into custody, and the weapons will be processed, police said.
Authorities raced to track leads, including a red 2020 Mitsubishi Mirage belonging to one of the victims, which police said was taken from the scene during the crime and found abandoned by police the next day.
Recent rise in gun violence
In the days preceding the shooting, the city of Jackson has seen a rise in “gun-related violence, shootings, and senseless loss of life” Mayor Horhn said in a statement Sunday.
“We’re all concerned,” Horhn said at Thursday’s news conference. “Families are hurting.”
He outlined a four-pronged strategy to make the city safer, centered on deeper community engagement, declaring the violence a public health issue and appealing to the federal and state governments for funding to put toward crime prevention resources.
The mayor also announced the rollout of a quick response team.
“This response team is going to work through this weekend, through the holiday, but it’s not going to stop there. It’s going to continue through most of the heart of the summer, and it is going to focus on violence-prone areas that are in the city, and we’re going to have data and the use of data to help us focus our policing,” Horhn said.
The killings are the city’s 39th, 40th and 41st homicides of the year, according to the Jackson Police Department.
Law enforcement data compiled by CNN affiliate WLBT shows 38 of those 41 homicides reported by Jackson police in 2026 were the result of a shooting.
“We won’t let these senseless acts define who the city is or where we’re going,” the mayor said.
This story has been updated with additional information.
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CNN’s Nicole Chavez contributed to this report.
