17-year-old arrested, charged with first degree murder in Waltersville Estates shooting

Published 3:09 pm Friday, April 14, 2023

One person is dead and another is in custody following a shooting in the Waltersville Estates neighborhood in Vicksburg.

The Vicksburg Police Department on Friday arrested Markevius Devonte Sturdivant, 17, and charged him with first degree murder in the death of 22-year-old Shemar Jashad Smith. Both Sturdivant and Smith are Vicksburg residents.

Police said the shooting occurred in the 100 block of Kings Drive in north Vicksburg, Thursday at about 9:40 p.m. Vicksburg E-911 received a call in reference to a disturbance. When police officers arrived on the scene, they found Smith in the 200 block of Walters Street suffering from multiple gunshot wounds.

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Kings Drive and Walters Street run parallel to each other, and homes on each street sit back-to-back.

Smith was pronounced dead at the scene by Warren County coroner Doug Huskey.

VPD Deputy Chief Troy Kimble stated in Friday’s bond hearing that the department has video evidence linking Sturdivant to the murder.

Sturdivant appeared before Municipal Court judge Penn Lawson on Friday and received a $2 million bond. His case was bound over to the Warren County Grand Jury.