Tifton man charged with murder

Published 12:31 pm Wednesday, January 31, 2024

TIFTON — A Tifton man was charged with murder following a shooting incident Monday, authorities said.

Xavier Sean Ross, 34, of Tifton was charged with felony murder, aggravated assault, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime, a Georgia Bureau of Investigation statement said.

Email newsletter signup

He was accused of killing Brendan Rashad Burns, 33, of Tifton, the GBI said.

Around 5:30 p.m., Tifton police headed to the 100 block of West 17th Street on a report of a shooting. Officers found Burns with a gunshot wound; he was pronounced dead at the scene.

A car at the intersection of West 17th Street and South Central Avenue was also hit by gunfire, the statement said. People in the car were not injured.

The suspect was found at Tift Regional Hospital suffering from a gunshot wound; he was taken to another hospital and will be jailed when the hospital discharges him, the GBI said.

Burns’ body will be taken to the GBI Crime Lab in Pooler for an autopsy.

Those with information about this case should contact the GBI Regional Investigative Office in Sylvester at 229-777-2080 or the Tifton Police Department at 229-382-3132. Anonymous tips can also be submitted by calling 1-800-597-TIPS (8477), online at https://gbi.georgia.gov/submit-tips-online, or by downloading the See Something, Send Something mobile app.