Court testimony reveals what led up to killing of JSU student
JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) - 3 On Your Side was first to uncover alleged video evidence that likely played a role in the release of and withdrawal of charges against the Jackson State University murder suspect.
Days later, the alleged getaway driver was also released from custody.
Tuesday, WLBT was first to obtain the incident report from the night of the killing.
JSU chose not to give us the incident report for free but instead charged $35 so their lawyers could choose what to redact. Per state law, incident reports are always public.
After reviewing the report, one of the biggest takeaways is the time a JSU officer is said to have responded to the scene.
That time was approximately 9:44 p.m., which is nearly 20 minutes after Jackson Police received the initial call about the shooting.
By the time the JSU officer arrived, the report notes that JPD already had a crime scene established near the location of the killing.
The report also briefly touches on a fight that was said to have led to the shooting during Monday’s hearing for one of the suspects.
“As our investigation showed, it started out earlier that day with a dispute between two other students,” Lt. Terrence Jackson said.
According to court testimony, one of those students was Elisha Brown — sister of the man initially accused of the killing, Joshua Brown.
The other was Elisha Brown’s boyfriend, whose name we don’t know.
Lieutenant Jackson with the JSU Department of Public Safety says the two broke up on the day of the killing, and Elisha Brown called alleged getaway driver Jamison Kelly to campus because she felt threatened.
Kelly is said to have arrived with 3 or 4 other people.
Elisha Brown, Kelly, and a few others all allegedly went down to the then ex-boyfriend’s apartment to get her belongings, and they saw the ex-boyfriend with another young lady.
Later, the ex-boyfriend called his fraternity brothers and told them he still had belongings at Elisha Brown’s apartment.
“Several individuals, along with the victim, went to retrieve his items. Then it turned into a physical altercation and led to gunfire where Mr. Burns was shot,” Jackson said.
Despite the fact that the only two people arrested in this case — including the murder suspect — have been released, JSU has yet to take any accountability or release any substantial updates.
3 On Your Side reached out to JSU Police Chief Herman Horton after the second suspect was released Tuesday, and he provided the statement below.
“The JSU Department of Public Safety will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to ensure that justice is achieved in this matter.”
WLBT also reached out to the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation Tuesday, but officials also chose not to release any information.
“The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation (MBI) is assisting in this case. Due to this being an open and ongoing investigation, no further comment will be made at this time.”
MBI released virtually the same statement Tuesday when WLBT asked if investigators have interviewed Elisha Brown.
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