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October 17, 2024
District Attorney Daniella M. Shorter announces that on October 15, 2024, Dezarrious Johnson was tried before a jury of his peers on the charges of depraved heart murder, aggravated assault against Anthony Scott, aggravated assault against Kemmorris Williams, and shooting into the occupied dwelling of Rashida Rankin.
After two days of testimony, the jury found Dezarrious Johnson guilty of aggravated assault against Anthony Scott and guilty of aggravated assault on Kemmorris Williams
On the charge of depraved heart murder and the lesser included offense of culpable negligence manslaughter the jury found the defendant not guilty. The jury was not able to reach an unanimous decision on the lesser included offense of manslaughter, nor was the jury able to reach an unanimous decision on the charge of shooting into the occupied dwelling of Rashida Rankin and a mistrial was entered on these charges.
On October 03. 2022 at approximately 1149 hours Fayette Police Department and Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office responded to 131 MLK Apartment Road, Fayette, MS in reference to shots being fired in the parking lot of the complex. Upon arrival, law enforcement discovered that two (2) people had been shot. Victim # 1: Seth Hendricks (deceased) and Victim #2 Anthony Scott (injured). Victim #1 had a gunshot wound to the head. Victim #2 had gunshot wounds to the face and hand. Both victims were transported via ambulance to the Jefferson County Hospital.
Video surveillance showed that Kemorris Williams (driver) and Anthony Scott (passenger) entered the MLK apartment complex in a GMC Yukon and backed into a parking space in front of Building K. Minutes later a gray Nissan Altima occupied by Seth Hendricks (driver), Zackeri Reasons, and Dezarrious Johnson, enters the complex and parks two spaces down from the Yukon. All three (3) subjects exit the Nissan, approach the passenger side of the Yukon, and begin a conversation with Anthony Scott.
Just prior to the shooting, surveillance shows Seth Hendricks walk back to the Nissan and sit in the driver’s seat. Moments later, Dezarrious Johnson and Zackeri Reasons pull guns and start firing into the Yukon. Anthony Scott returns fire, but is shot once in the hand and once in the facial area. When the gunshots begin, Kemorris Williams is seen getting out of the Yukon (driver’s side) and running away from the scene.
Dezarrious Johnson is seen running behind the area of Building K and Zackeri Reasons runs behind the laundry mat. As Dezarrious Johnson is running away he is shown firing in the direction of the Yukon and Nissan. One (1) bullet enters the passenger side of the Nissan and strikes Seth Hendricks in the head. Seth Hendricks gets out of the Nissan, runs behind the laundry mat, he is pronounced dead at the hospital.
Sentencing was deferred on the two (2) aggravated assault convictions pending the completion of a pre-sentence investigative report. The defendant is scheduled to be sentenced in November 2024.
