15-year-old killed in Canton drive-by shooting

CANTON — A 15-year-old boy sitting on his grandmother’s porch was gunned down in a drive-by shooting here late Thursday, the authorities said.

Police are searching for suspects in the shooting on north West Street that killed Demarian Tillman, 15, of Texas, who was in town visiting his grandmother, according to Canton Police Chief Otha Brown. 

Brown said police received the call at about 11:30 p.m. of gunshots ringing out in the 300 block of north West Street not far from Canton’s Fire Station No. 3 on the north side of Peace Street west of the railroad.

When officers arrived, Brown said they found Tillman dead at the scene.

Possible motives of a shooter are not known, Brown said, and as of Monday afternoon, investigators had no suspects.

“All we know is that the teen was here visiting his grandmother,” Brown said. “This is still an ongoing investigation, and we will share any updates we can when they become available. The vehicle description and shooter have still not been identified.” 

Brown said the killing was the second homicide in Canton this year.

On May 7, a woman was found the bloodied body of 37-year-old Takoria Brown at the Econo Lodge on Soldiers Colony Road.

That murder is under investigation by the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation.

In 2020, there were eight homicides reported in what Brown called a particularly violent year. That included the triple homicide of a Guatemalan family.