Marquese Dshawan Clayton

Meridian police are looking for a suspect in connection with a Friday shooting.

Warrants were issued for Marquese Dshawan Clayton, 25, who is wanted for one count of aggravated assault and two counts of drive-by shooting.

Officers responded around 12:30 p.m. Friday to a report of a red Ford F150 four-door truck chasing a white car in the 1000 block of 14th Street, police said. The occupants of the vehicles were shooting at each other as they traveled west on 14th Street, police said.

A vehicle traveling east in the 1900 block of 14th Street was struck by one round and the female driver was grazed by the round that struck her vehicle. She was treated and released at a local hospital, police said. 

The two trucks continued traveling west on 14th Street.

Interim MPD Chief Charles Coleman said police are determining why the drivers were chasing each other.

Police aren’t sure if the incident is gang-related, but aren’t ruling it out. 

“We want to curb gang violence all over Meridian,” Coleman said. “It is really detrimental to any community especially a small city like Meridian.”

More arrests are expected, the chief said. 

“The citizens of Meridian deserve to ride around in their city without being shot at,” Coleman said. “You deserve to go to work, go shop and riding down the streets without fearing for your life.”

MPD Capt. John Griffith said the woman who was shot was a bystander and had no connection to the suspects. 

Anyone with any information about Clayton’s whereabouts is asked to call the Meridian Police Department or East Mississippi Crimestoppers at 1-855-485-2477.