All articles tagged with #jackson mississippi
Cassandra Wilson, a Jackson-born Grammy-winning jazz vocalist celebrated for blending jazz with blues, gospel and folk, has died at age 70 in Jackson, Mississippi. City officials praise her as a native daughter whose music carried Mississippi’s sound worldwide; Wilson earned multiple Grammys and left a lasting legacy in jazz.
Beloved Jackson filmmaker Curtis Nichouls died at 51 of natural causes at his home after a welfare check; authorities found him Friday night and he was pronounced dead Saturday morning. Nichouls was a photographer for the Omega Psi Phi fraternity and helped produce the Jackson-shot Hollywood film A Day to Die; he had also purchased the Metrocenter Dillard’s in 2024 to turn it into a hub for filming and training new filmmakers. His fraternity brothers and the Omega Psi Phi chapter mourn his loss and celebrate his contributions to the community.
On Aug. 6, 2026, the Hinds County Coroner identified 29-year-old Tasia Fortune as the woman found hanging from a tree behind a vacant Jackson home on Aug. 3; authorities have not ruled out foul play and an autopsy will determine the cause and manner of death. Fortune’s family has launched a GoFundMe for burial expenses, and local officials have sought federal help, amid recent Mississippi cases of tree-hanging deaths that have sparked concerns about potential racially motivated violence.
Ex-Jackson, Miss. mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba pleaded guilty to one conspiracy count in a six-figure real-estate bribery scheme after accepting tens of thousands of dollars from individuals he believed to be developers but who were undercover FBI agents; DA Jody Owens has also pleaded guilty, Lumumba served as mayor from 2017 to 2025 and lost reelection in 2025, and both men face sentencing in October with potential prison time.
Two women in their 20s and a toddler were found dead from multiple gunshot wounds at a Jackson, Mississippi home. The shooter remains at large and is considered armed and dangerous. A red 2020 Mitsubishi Mirage tied to the case was found unoccupied in North Jackson as investigators seek tips and continue the probe.
Authorities say a 19-year-old man set fire to the Beth Israel Congregation’s library in Jackson, Mississippi, causing extensive damage; investigators say he confessed after his father alerted the FBI and evidence, including Life360 location data, corroborated the confession. He faces a federal arson charge and a state hate-crime enhancement, with potential prison time if convicted. The fire was classified as incendiary and started in the library, forcing the synagogue to remain closed for up to a year while repairs are planned. The attack is being treated as antisemitic violence, with community support and local churches offering space as the congregation rebuilds.