Four arrests were made in the shooting death of Joseph Tillman in what was an attempted robbery.
As stated in the press release attached from the SPD, Jaylen M. Barker,20, has been charged with Murder with a $1 million bond. Jamario Pippins,22, Tyler Harris,16, and Brandon Sherrod,19, were charged with Murder, as an accessory, with a $500,000 bond each.
All were from Columbus/Lowndes County and transported to the Oktibbeha County Jail.
Their initial Municipal Court appearances are set for tomorrow at 6 p.m. As stated in the press release:
A Mississippi State University student was killed overnight in the Cotton District.
Joseph Tillman, a senior marketing major, was confirmed dead by Michael Hunt, Oktibbeha County coroner.
“The call came in at 2:30 in the morning over on Maxwell Street, Hunt said, “and now it is standard procedure that he has been sent to Jackson for an autopsy.”
Hunt could give no other information concerning the situation leading to the death of Tillman. There have been multiple reports of shooting, from sources such as WCBI and the Starkville Dispatch, being the cause of Tillman’s death.
Sid Salter, chief communication officer at MSU, released the following statement concerning the death of Tillman.
“The MSU family is shocked and grieving over the loss of our fine student senior marketing major Joseph Tillman of Schlater. We are grateful to local law enforcement for their swift action in this case and are fully cooperating with their investigation. Counseling services are available for MSU students who need that service. We have no other relevant information to share at this time.”
The MSU Student Association released this statement shortly after Salter.
“The student body is grieving over the loss of one of our own students, senior marketing major Joseph Tillman.”
Students are encouraged to make use of counseling services provided by MSU.
The Starkville Police Department said they have no more information regarding the incident until further notice. More details to follow as this story unfolds.
