Mississippi 15-year-old charged with teen’s murder; investigators said argument preceded shooting

Published 7:59 am Tuesday, September 8, 2020

A 15-year-old faces a charge of murder in the Monday morning shooting death of Ethan Powell, 18.

Warren County Sheriff Martin Pace said Kemond Urell Jones, 15, was arrested after his family brought him to the Warren County Sheriff’s Office and turned him over to Pace and investigator Sam Winchester.

Pace said Jones was arrested on a warrant signed by Warren County Justice Court Judge James Jefferson charging the teen with murder. Jones is being held without bail in the Warren County Jail pending an initial appearance Tuesday in Justice Court.

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Pace said that, by state law, Jones was automatically certified as an adult on the charge.

Pace said the shooting was the result of an argument between Powell and Jones in the 100 block of Abraham Drive. At some point, Jones produced a handgun and shot Powell multiple times. The gun has not been recovered, Pace said. He said the case remains under investigation.

He said deputies responding just after midnight Monday to a call that shots were fired in the 100 block of Abraham Drive arrived to find Powell lying in the street with multiple gunshot wounds.

Powell was taken to Merit Health River Region, where he was pronounced dead by doctors in the hospital emergency room about 1:08 a.m., Warren County Coroner Doug Huskey said.

An autopsy has been ordered.