Starkville police have arrested four suspects in connection to the Sunday morning shooting death of a Mississippi State student.
All four have been charged with murder.
A police department press release said 21-year-old Joseph Tillman was shot and killed on Maxwell Street in the Cotton District in an attempted robbery at about 1:50 a.m. MSU Chief Communications Officer Sid Salter confirmed the Schlater native was a senior marketing major.
Police located the suspects during a traffic stop, the release said, and officers found weapons in the vehicle.
Jaylen M. Barker, 20, is accused of murder and is being held in Oktibbeha County Jail on $1 million bond. Charged with murder as accessories are 22-year old Jamario Pippins, 16-year old Tyler Harris, and 19-year old Brandon Sherrod. Their bonds are set at $500,000 each.
All four suspects are from either Oktibbeha or Lowndes County, police said. Their first appearances in Starkville Municipal Court are set for 6 p.m. Monday.
The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Marshal Service, state police and Oktibbeha County Sheriff’s Office are all assisting in the ongoing investigation.
Tillman’s fraternity, Phi Delta Theta, is planning a prayer service at 7 p.m. Sunday at the Chapel of Memories on MSU’s campus.
Salter said counseling services are available to MSU students through the Student Counseling Center, and the center can be reached at (662) 325-2091.
Anyone with any information into this, or any other, incident is asked to contact the Starkville Police Department at 662-323-4131 or Golden Triangle Crime Stoppers at 1-800-530-7151.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 41 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.