Crime

Mississippi Jeweler Shot and Killed in Armed Robbery

CrimeApr 27, 2021

Mississippi Jeweler Shot and Killed in Armed Robbery

Jamie Browning Iverson was a co-owner of Paul’s Jewelry in Indianola, Mississippi.

Indianola, Miss.—A jeweler who worked alongside her husband for decades at their store in the Mississippi Delta was murdered during an armed robbery late last week.

According to local media reports, Jamie Browning Iverson, one of the owners of Paul’s Jewelry in Indianola, Mississippi, was working alone Friday morning when two men entered the store.

She was shot in an apparent armed robbery, and later died at a local hospital. 

The Indianola Police Department, Sunflower County Sheriff’s Department and Mississippi State Highway Patrol are working the case, along with the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Marshals, and the local field division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Indianola police investigator Irish Johnson could not be reached by National Jeweler Monday, but he told The Enterprise-Tocsin newspaper that both suspects were wearing masks. 

One had on a dark-colored hooded jacket and the other wore a scarf on his head. They fled in the scene in a late-model black BMW. 

 Related stories will be right here … 

Iverson, 67, was a Mississippi native and University of Mississippi alumna.

She and her husband, Rodney Iverson, were married for nearly 43 years and owned Paul’s Jewelry together for decades, working side-by-side not only as co-owners but also as best friends, according to her obituary

The beloved and prominent local merchant was a mother to two sons, Dustin Howard Iverson and Tyler Brennan Iverson, and a grandmother to three ranging in age from 19 months to 15 years. 

On Sunday evening, residents of the small Mississippi Delta town gathered in downtown Indianola to remember their local jewelry store owner.

The Enterprise-Tocsin reported that more than 100 people attended the vigil. 

Many offered prayers and condolences for the family on social media, with some posting using the hashtag #indianolastrong. 

Michelle Graffis the editor-in-chief at National Jeweler, directing the publication’s coverage both online and in print.
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