Marquez Griffin was arrested at the scene, with police accusing him of killing a boy and a toddler in Mississippi on Monday, January 9, before allegedly taking another youngster hostage.
What Is Marquez Griffin Accused Of?
The incident unfolded in the early hours of Monday at an apartment complex in Jonestown, Mississippi when the Coahoma County Sheriff’s Office received a call that a child had been shot.
An off-duty officer who heard the call-out rushed to the scene, arriving alongside other deputies to find a hostage-type situation. “Deputies were able to talk the subject into dropping his weapon and get the child to safety,” according to a statement released by the sheriff’s office. “The suspect was immediately taken into custody.”
But the situation took a darker turn as deputies then discovered that two other children, a nine-year-old boy, and a one-year-old girl, were suffering from gunshot wounds.
One was pronounced dead at the scene, while the other was rushed to a hospital in Clarksdale, but could not be saved. It was not clear which child was taken to the hospital before losing their life; police did not reveal the names of the two young victims.
Officers have not yet revealed any details about the surviving child who was being threatened when police first arrived at the scene, and their gender and age remain undisclosed.
Police have accused Griffin of being responsible for the atrocity.
What Is Known About the Children?
Although the police have not released details about any of the children involved, the one-year-old girl has been identified by her family as little Averi Jones, according to local news channel WREG-TV.
It was Averi who was taken to the hospital, according to the child’s grandmother Melrose Haile, who spoke to the station about her family’s loss.
“All I know is my grandbaby Averi Jones is gone and I just want everyone to know that Averi Baby was a sweet baby. She didn’t deserve this. She didn’t deserve this. She didn’t deserve this at all,” Haile said. “Her mom told me she was asleep and he put a pillow over her head and shot her in her head.”
What Is Known About Marquez Griffin?
Griffin is 25 years old, and had been living in Arlington, Texas, for some time but had “recently moved back to this area,” according to police.
Very little is known about Griffin so far; it’s unclear what he does for a living or whether he has any previous criminal convictions.
The sheriff’s office statement said: “This is an ongoing investigation and the motive is not yet clear.”
However, bereaved grandmother Haile told WREG-TV that Griffin had been friends with the baby’s mother and alleged that he was responsible. “She told me they were friends and how could a friend do this to you?”
What Is Marquez Griffin Charged With?
Griffin has been charged with two counts of murder and two counts of aggravated assault, according to the statement released by the Coahoma County Sheriff’s Office on Monday.
A booking photo reportedly of Griffin, which was released by police and shared by FOX 13, appeared to show him suffering from facial injuries, with a swollen eye and cuts to his lips. It is unknown how or when he sustained those apparent wounds.
Newsweek has reached out to the sheriff’s office for further details about the incident and Griffin’s arrest.
Griffin is currently in custody at the Coahoma County Adult Detention Center.
The incident comes after a bloody start to the New Year in the U.S.
Across the country, some 193 people were shot on New Year’s Day, with 56 of them dying, according to data from the Gun Violence Archive, which records shootings across the country.
The figures follow a brutal year of shootings, with thousands of children among the victims. More than 6,000 children and teenagers were killed or injured over the course of 2022, the highest figure since the archive began nine years ago.
In one of the most shocking attacks, 19 students, along with two adults, were killed when a gunman attacked the Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas.
