Seventeen homicides were reported in the city of Meridian and Lauderdale County in 2019, an increase from 2018, when there were 10 murders.

In 2019, Meridian experienced 15 homicides, while Lauderdale County had two. Most of the deaths were the result of ongoing disputes or domestic violence. 

In one of the shooting deaths, the victim was not the intended target. None of the 2019 cases have yet resulted in indictments.

In 2018, law enforcement officers investigated eight deaths in Meridian and two in Lauderdale County, a decrease from the 14 total investigations in 2017.

January

On Jan. 3, 2019, Meridian police responded to an attempted armed robbery that turned into a murder at the St. Francis Apartments. 

Dezjuan Moffite,16, was originally charged with capital murder before the charge was reduced to manslaughter. 

Moffite’s accomplice, Randarious R. Stancil-Martin, 22, was shot during the incident. Martin and the resident of the home fought over a gun and the resident shot Martin three times in the chest, killing him. 

After a court appearance in January, Moffite had a bond of $300,000 for armed robbery, $250,000 for manslaughter and $200,000 for attempted murder. Moffite was charged in connection with Martin’s death because Martin died during a crime Moffite was involved in, police said. The case is pending presentation to a grand jury. 

On Jan. 19, Meridian police responded to a stabbing death involving a husband and his wife. 

Shamell Hill, 43, was charged in the death of Lashawnda Wooten, 34, after officers were called to a residence on 44th Court and found Wooten with stab wounds.

Police said Hill broke into Wooten’s home through a door and stabbed her.

Hill was previously charged with domestic violence, and Wooten had a protective order against him.  The couple were going through a divorce, according to police.  

Hill’s bond was denied due to the nature of the crime. He waived his preliminary hearing and will remain at the Lauderdale County Detention Facility until the case is brought before a grand jury.

On Jan. 20, police responded to a shooting death near 30th Street and Sixth Avenue. The victim was identified as George Jackson, 28, who died at a hospital.

Andraeus Forrest, 32, was arrested and charged with murder following the shooting. 

Police said the shooting was a result of ongoing dispute that escalated when Forrest shot Jackson. Forrest and Jackson knew each other. Forrest waived his preliminary and the case is pending presentation to a grand jury.

Eight days later, on Jan. 27, police responded to a shooting outside a nightclub on the 1200 block of 27th Avenue in Meridian. Elgreco Warren was identified as the victim.

Police said a fight started inside the club, before moving outside where a man was shot.

After the shooting, the suspect, O’Derrick Lahaus Mosley, 43, left the scene. Authorities later executed a search warrant at his residence at 3702 Royal Road in Meridian and found blood on the front door leading to the driveway.

Authorities also found $5,000 worth of marijuana, $1,000 in cash and a .40 caliber gun, which they believe was used to kill Warren. Mosley was captured by U.S. Marshals in Jacksonville, Florida in March. Mosley’s case is pending presentation to a grand jury.

April 

On April 6, a man was charged with fatally shooting his wife in the neck. The victim, Saundra McCoy, 50, of Meridian, was shot in the neck at her house near 42nd Avenue and 20th Street, police said. Larry D. McCoy, of 45th Avenue, Meridian, was charged with murder. Police said the shooting happened after the couple got into an altercation. 

On April 28, police responded to a shooting outside of a makeshift bar on 20th Avenue and 17th Street in Meridian. Marcus Wooten of Meridian was charged with killing Tajh Forbes.

Police said a witness reported that Wooten approached the vehicle and shot into the driver’s side several times. Police said Forbes suffered several gunshot wounds to his abdomen and arm. Wooten was also injured and was not arrested until he recovered, police said. 

In Lauderdale County, deputies investigated a shooting death on April 20 on Homestead Road. Authorities said the suspect, Gregory Freeman, shot Gracie Moss Lebron, 40, after they got into a fight.

Freeman left the area but was later caught by authorities in Lee County. He is being held at the Lauderdale County Detention Facility on charges for murder and motor vehicle theft. His bond set was at $510,000.

May

On May 14, police responded to a shooting on 34th Avenue and 22nd Street in Meridian. Jadarrious Lewis was identified as the victim. Police said the shooting was the result of an ongoing dispute among several men and it appeared that Lewis was targeted and ambushed. 

Kenny Hopson, 21, and Mario Craig, 23, were arrested and had their preliminary hearings. In July, a third suspect in the shooting, Montrel Corvata Ruttley, 24, of Meridian, was arrested.

Meridian police responded to a double homicide around 7:30 p.m. on May 29 at 22nd Street and 44th Avenue. Police found two male victims, one inside a car and the other outside the car. 

The victims were identified as Talimon Edwards, 27, of Marion and Edward C. Carpenter, 32, of Meridian. Edwards and Carpenter were in the front seats of a car when they were shot from behind by someone in the car’s back seat, police said.

One suspect, Cedric Rogers, was captured in Kemper County on June 28. Another suspect, Jayvion Smith, 20, of Meridian, was arrested in July by U.S. Marshals.

Smith was charged with two counts of capital murder related to a double homicide. Smith also charged in the shooting death of Ontario Drake, 28, of Meridian, police said. The shooting of Drake happened on July 15 on the 2000 block of 30th Avenue and was the result of an ongoing dispute, police said.

July

On July 10, Lauderdale County deputies were called to Prisock Road near I-20, where they found an unresponsive man who had been shot in the leg. The victim was identified as Willie James Sturdivant Jr., 40.

Jimmy Marquez Johnson, 20, was charged with murder and being a felon in possession of a firearm. Another suspect, Jannetta L. Lard, 28, of Meridian was later captured by Meridian Police Department officers and charged with accessory after the fact. She posted bail. The arrests came after Lard and Sturdivant got into a fight in York, Alabama. The argument escalated and Lard dove the getaway car, authorities said. 

In March 2016, Johnson pleaded guilty to an attempted murder charge and was sentenced to serve 20 years in prison, with 18 years suspended. Johnson only served 800 days.

August 

On Aug. 28, police responded to an ambush shooting on the 5200 block of Ash Avenue.

Onorious Campbell, 18, was charged with the murder of Arnold Brown, 52. Police said Campbell is Brown’s stepson. Campbell turned himself into police and waived his preliminary hearing. The case was sent to a grand jury.

Before the shooting, Campbell and Brown had a previous incident on July 18 that resulted in Brown getting shot. That incident stemmed from Campbell believing Brown was abusing his mother, police said. In November, a second suspect was arrested in the case.

Shaterrica K. Hayes, 19, was charged with accessory before the fact Police said Haynes, who is Brown’s stepdaughter, knew Brown was going to get shot. The case was sent to the grand jury.

September

On Sept. 6, police responded to a drive-by shooting around 11 p.m. at the Shell gas station near the Hampton Inn on the Hwy. 39 bypass. The victim, Johnny Cullins, 26, of Meridian was standing near a gas pump.

The suspect, Henry Quintez Gibbs, 27, of Meridian, was charged with murder, two counts of shooting into a dwelling and felon carrying a concealed weapon. Police said Cullins was not the intended target and did not know Gibbs.

Police said the intended target of the shooting was a passenger in Cullins’ car. Gibbs and the intended target had a dispute over a woman, and Gibbs sent threatening text messages before the shooting as a warning, police said.

Later in September, police investigated the death of Jakie Toole, a 5-year-old boy who was found dead in the basement of a house on Crabapple Drive. 

Celeste Louise Smith, 35, of Meridian, was charged with capital murder and two counts of child neglect on Sept. 12. The child’s mother, Teasia Warren, 24 was later charged with two counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor. Both cases were sent to a grand jury.

November

On Nov. 23, police said Almond Turner, 69, was killed by his nephew Christopher Denson, 41, at a birthday party at an event hall in Meridian.

Police said Denson went to his vehicle, walked back inside with an AK-47 rifle and fired five or six shots. The shots struck Turner in the head and chest, killing him, according to an affidavit.

Denson was charged with murder and being a convicted felon while possessing a firearm. He waived his preliminary hearing and the case is pending a hearing by a grand jury. Denson is being held at the Lauderdale County Detention Facility.

December

On Dec. 9, police responded to a shooting at the CITGO gas station on 1900 Highway 19 in Meridian. The shooting was the result of an ongoing dispute between two groups of people, police said. 

A fight erupted between the shooter and the victim inside the gas station, resulting in the victim being shot and killed, police said.

The victim was identified as Deondra Brandon, 29, of Meridian.

Police arrested Earnquarious Q. Jackson, 26, in connection to the shooting, but are still looking for the alleged shooter, 22-year-old Javarious Page. 

Jackson was charged with aggravated assault, shooting into a building, shooting into a vehicle and felon in possession of a firearm.