Independence Young

In the early hours of Sunday, December 3, 2023, the life of Independence Young, a 21-year-old Black/African American man from McGehee, Arkansas, was cut short by gunfire. Known to some as "3 Chucky," he was one of two men killed that morning in the small town of Wilmar.

The violence unfolded at the old Wilmar School on North 5th Street, which the city used as a community center. A party had just ended when a 911 call was placed around 2:30 a.m. Deputies from the Drew County Sheriff's Office arrived to a grim scene. They found Independence Young lying deceased on the street. In a vehicle parked in the school’s driveway, another victim, 25-year-old Suquorey Pitts Jr. of Dumas, was discovered dead in the front passenger seat. An autopsy by the Arkansas State Crime Lab would later confirm that both men died from gunshot wounds.

The Drew County Sheriff’s Office requested that the Arkansas State Police Criminal Investigation Division take the lead on the double homicide case. Investigators processing the scene collected 100 shell casings. Forensic analysis revealed that multiple firearms had been used, indicating that more than one person had been firing a weapon during the incident.

For months, the investigation continued until a break in the case. On July 30, 2024, nearly eight months after the killings, Arkansas State Police conducted a traffic stop in Lake Village and took a passenger into custody. The man was identified as Taiwan V. Collins, a 27-year-old from McGehee.

Collins was charged in connection with the deaths of Young and Pitts. At his trial, a Drew County jury heard testimony from witnesses at the scene. The jury ultimately convicted Collins of two counts of first-degree murder and one count of committing a terroristic act. Following the jury's recommendation, the judge sentenced Taiwan Collins to a term of 25 years in the Arkansas Department of Correction. The sentences for the murder of Mr. Pitts (25 years), the murder of Mr. Young (20 years), and the terroristic act (12 years) were ordered to run concurrently. Based on the law at the time, Collins must serve 70% of his sentence before he is eligible for release.