The suspected gunman in a fatal post-graduation party shooting this spring on Highway 182 was still in Oktibbeha County Jail on Saturday after a Sixteenth Circuit District Court judge reduced his bond Friday by more than $160,000.
Judge Lee Howard lowered bond for 18-year-old Dennis Thompson, accused of killing one person and wounding three others May 22 after a party at 124 Place, from a combined $300,000 to a combined $135,000 for one count of murder and three counts of aggravated assault.
Thompson”s attorney, Chokwe Lumumba, of Jackson, asked Howard to reduce the former Starkville High School football player”s bond from $300,000 to $50,000, saying his client is entitled to a “reasonable” bond amount. Thompson”s family can”t afford to pay 10 percent of the $300,000 set by Starkville Municipal Court Judge Rodney Faver, his father, Dennis Deloach, testified Friday. Plus, Thompson is innocent until proven guilty, Lumumba said.
Assistant District Attorney Charlie Hedgepeth argued against the bond reduction, however, saying Thompson shot “unarmed, innocent bystanders” in the early morning hours after the party following a conflict with the West Side Boys gang.
“Bond should be denied,” Hedgepeth said.
But Howard sided with Lumumba and Deloach and said the $150,000 bond set by Faver for the murder charge “might be on the high side,” then reduced it to $75,000. Howard also reduced each of the three aggravated assault bond amounts from $50,000 to $20,000.
Deloach and Thompson”s brother, Ricardo, 22, testified Thompson would show up to trial if he is released on bond and said he is not a danger to the community. Thompson still had not posted bond as of Saturday afternoon.
Thompson was charged with murder for the shooting death of Curtis “CK” Randle, 25, and three counts of aggravated assault for non-fatal gunshot wounds suffered by victims Devier Outlaw, Azaria Ross, both Starkville High students, and Tony Vincent Harris, from East Oktibbeha High School. The shooting took place near the corner of Highway 182 and D.L. Conner Drive.
According to testimony Friday by Starkville Police Department Detective Landon Stamps, who worked the case, Thompson told him he had arrived at the graduation party on his moped and was approached by members of the West Side Boys, with whom he had “problems” in the past. Members of the gang told Thompson “everything is squashed, everything is good,” but the group”s seemingly friendly gesture made Thompson suspicious, Stamps testified.
“Mr. Thompson said he knew something bad was going to happen,” Stamps said.
Thompson then left on his moped, picked up a black .40-caliber pistol, put it in his moped and returned to 124 Place, Stamps said, relaying Thompson”s statement from the night of the shooting.
Thompson parked and left the gun with his moped, then returned to 124 Place, Stamps said. There, he again was approached by the West Side Boys and again they told him “everything was cool,” Stamps said.
Thompson then left for a second time and dropped off his moped, but returned to 124 Place in a vehicle with the weapon in his waistband, Stamps said.
While in the crowd, Thompson was approached by someone he knew as “Mike-Mike,” who police later determined was Michael Smith, and Smith struck Thompson in the face, Stamps said. Thompson told Stamps he was “blind-sided,” Stamps testified Friday.
Thompson went down, then pulled the pistol from his waistband and came up shooting, Stamps said, relaying Thompson”s statement.
“Mr. Thompson said he pulled the pistol from his waistband and started shooting,” Stamps said. “I said, ”Who were you trying to shoot?” and he said ”I was shooting. I wasn”t aiming. I was just shooting.””
Randle died at the scene while Outlaw, Ross and Harris were treated for their injuries at OCH Regional Medical Center.
Thompson”s case is scheduled to go before the Oktibbeha County grand jury in January.
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