Authorities are investigating a Drew triple homicide that led to a fourth death last Thursday.
The initial victims have been identified as Aquilla Wallace, 40, and her two teenage daughters, Bromeisha Sims and Kamaya Sims. The three bodies were discovered that morning at their Joseph Street residence.
One suspect, James Kendrick, was being pursued on foot later that day by law enforcement in the unincorporated Rome community just a few miles north of Drew.
Surrounded, Kendrick turned his gun on himself and fired, according to police.
Lifesaving measures were taken at the scene, according to Sunflower County Sheriff James Haywood, and Kendrick was later airlifted to the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson.
He was pronounced deceased at 2:48 p.m. on April 24, according to Sunflower County Coroner Heather Burton.
Another suspect, Malik Hampton, was taken into custody that morning. He is being held at the Bolivar County Jail on a $1 million bond on a charge of accessory after the fact, according to law enforcement.
Another person, whom The Enterprise-Tocsin has chosen to not identify at this time, was taken into custody, questioned and released last Thursday, according to law enforcement.
Multiple agencies were involved in the response, including the Drew Police Department, the Ruleville Police Department, the Sunflower County Sheriff’s Department, the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation and the Mississippi Department of Corrections K-9 Unit.
Drew Mayor Melanie Townsend-Blackmon told The E-T this week that she knew the families of the victims and the accused.
“Both sides are hurting, because you have the victims’ side, they lost their loved one as well, but you also have the one who (allegedly) did the killing,” she said. “I hurt for both families.”
Drew is a town of less than 2,000 people, located about five miles north of Ruleville and eight miles south of the Mississippi State Penitentiary at Parchman.
Everyone pretty much knows one another, Townsend-Blackmon said.
The tiny Rome community has deep ties to Drew, as many of its residents have attended school in Drew and Ruleville over the years.
“Rome and Drew are a tight-knit community,” Townsend-Blackmon said.
Townsend-Blackmon said that both families are originally from Drew, with the family of the accused having migrated to Rome in the past few years.
“I have a love for the Hampton family just as well as I have a love for the Wallace family,” she said.
Aquilla Wallace, a mother of five, was a cancer survivor and had been volunteering for Townsend-Blackmon’s reelection campaign this year.
“She was a very sweet young lady,” the Drew mayor said. “She was just a fun, witty young lady. She wanted the best for her children.”
Townsend-Blackmon helped to celebrate one of the most significant moments in Aquilla Wallace’s life this past winter when her friend completed her final radiation treatment for cancer.
“On January 28, she rang the bell,” Townsend-Blackmon said.
Through all of those trials, Aquilla Wallace never lost her smile.
“She was always a jolly person,” Townsend-Blackmon said. “If you wanted a good laugh, you would go to Aquilla.”
Two of Aquilla Wallace’s daughters, victims of last Thursday’s shooting, Bromeisha Sims and Kamaya Sims, had attended Thomas Edwards Sr. High School in Ruleville.
Class of 2023 Class President Johnathan Perkins issued a statement last week offering condolences to the family and to friends.
“We know this is not just a loss for our class, but for everyone who knew and loved them – family, friends, teachers and the wider community,” the statement said. “Though words can never fully ease the pain, please know that you are not alone in your grief.”
For now, the shooting deaths remain under investigation.
