After dropping charges against three Columbus men Friday, Lowndes County investigators have charged five men with the May 20 fatal shooting of a 19-year-old man.
Brandon Lakeith Brown, 25, of 516 Fifth Ave. N. in Columbus was arrested in Reform, Ala., by the police department, along with Reform residents Johnny Ray Brock Jr., 22, Richard Lamar Lee, 16, Joshua Miquel Taylor, 23, and Cameron Jacquse Merriweather, 24.
The five men are accused of breaking into 850 Harrison Road early May 20 and shooting William Deshun Stallings in the back of the head while he was asleep on a couch. They then robbed a woman, Shirley Love, who was in another room, before fleeing the scene, according to investigators.
Stallings, who used to live on Hospital Drive, died in Tupelo later that day.
Lowndes County Sheriff”s Office Chief Deputy Greg Wright said the defendants” motives had not been determined by this morning, although lead Investigator Eli Perrigin was in Reform today to conduct interviews.
Wright said he wouldn”t rule out more arrests in the near future.
Investigators had previously thought the shooting was gang-related and involved a woman after they were given false information the week after the shooting by two people, Wright said. Going on that bad information, investigators arrested Quinton Harris, Alexander Brown and Khalid Roby last week.
The two people who “lied to investigators” could face false information charges, Wright said.
“Trying to find out what is fact or fiction has taken up a lot of time,” Wright added.
Harris has been released from custody and Roby is expected to be released soon. Brown remains in jail on a charge of possession of a weapon by a convicted felon. His family said the guns, which were seized at the family residence, belonged to his father and were not in his possession.
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