Details about a Wednesday double murder in Meridian were released during a press conference on Thursday.

Meridian Police Chief Benny Dubose identified the victims as Talimon Edwards, 27, of Marion and Edward C. Carpenter, 32, of Meridian.

The men, who both died from gunshot wounds, were found after police responded around 7:30 p.m. on the 2200 block of 44th Avenue. Dubose said both men were pronounced dead at the scene. 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.

“It appears that this may have been some of an attempted robbery,” Dubose said.

The shootings were not random, and the victims and suspect or suspects likely knew each other, Dubose said. Police don’t believe the murders were gang-related. 

Dubose speculated that there may have been more than one shooter, as multiple shell casings were found at the scene. The suspects have not been identified, but Dubose said police are looking for people who may know about the case.

The murders mark the eighth and ninth homicides in 2019 for Meridian. Dubose said all of the cases involve people who had prior relationships. Two involved a domestic dispute, while four were a result of an ongoing fight between the victim and the suspect.

A shooting death early in the year appeared to be an attempted armed robbery, Dubose said.

“It’s not a case of random victims,” Dubose said.