Police name two persons of interest in Young Dolph murder investigation

Police in Memphis, Tennessee have put a call out for information on two men alleged to be involved in the murder of Young Dolph.

Devin Burns and Joshua Taylor have been named as persons of interest in the Memphis PD’s ongoing investigation. They’re both described as Black males aged 26 (Burns measuring 5’6” and weighing 135 pounds, while Taylor clocks in at 6’6” and 180 pounds), and it’s noted that Burns has outstanding arrest warrants active for unrelated crimes.

Those with any information on Burns’ or Taylor’s whereabouts are encouraged to contact the Homicide Bureau or Crime Stoppers; anonymous tips can be made online through the latter service.

Thus far, three suspects have been alleged to be involved in Dolph’s murder. Justin Johnson (23) and Cornelius Smith (32) were arrested in January, both charged of first-degree murder and theft of property between $10,000 and $60,000. Last week, both men pleaded not guilty to their charges.

Smith was also charged with attempted first-degree murder – it’s alleged he tried to shoot Dolph’s brother during the same incident that killed the rapper – as well as unlawfully carrying or possessing a weapon, and employment of a firearm with intent to commit a felony.

A third suspect – 27-year-old Shundale Barnett – was arrested later that month, and was charged as an accessory to Dolph’s murder. He was released from custody on January 21 (after 10 days in prison) and, as reported yesterday, subsequently went missing. He is wanted by the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office, with an arrest warrant active at the time of writing.

Dolph was shot and killed in Memphis on November 17, 2021. According to eyewitnesses, the 36-year-old musician was shot through the window of a local bakery. A private funeral was held on November 30, before a section of a street in the neighbourhood he grew up in was renamed in his honour on December 15.

In a statement given to Rolling Stone last month, Dolph’s aunt, Rita Myers, said the rapper’s family were traumatised by his murder. “Our family has suffered a tremendous loss, because he was the glue that held our family together,” she said on January 5. “I’m still crying, day and night.”

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