Bond denied for men charged in connection with mass shooting hours after St. Paddy’s Parade
JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) - Bond has been denied for the two men arrested in connection with a shooting following the Hal’s St. Paddy’s Parade that left one man dead and seven injured.
On Friday, CCID Court Judge Stanley Alexander denied bond for Michael and Marquavius McLeod during their initial appearance.
[READ: One dead, multiple injured in downtown Jackson shooting on day of St. Paddy’s Parade]
Both are being charged with one count of capital murder for the shooting death of Cortez George and six counts of aggravated assault for their alleged role in the shooting, which occurred at the intersection of Pearl and Lamar Streets in the hours following the St. Paddy’s Parade.
Charles King, a public defender representing Michael McLeod, asked for a reasonable bond, saying his client acted in self-defense. He has requested a hearing in two weeks in Hinds County Court.
“We will be fighting this and fighting hard,” he said, eventually putting his hand on Michael’s back as the 22-year-old broke down.
King also asked for a reasonable bond for Marquavius and again informed the judge that he would be seeking a hearing for him in two weeks before the Hinds County Court. King said he would not represent him after Friday’s appearance because he already represents Michael.
Details of the arrests were not immediately known. Before the shooting, Michael was employed by the University of Mississippi Medical Center Police Department. He is also a security guard with the United States Air Force.
[READ: Authorities detail ‘chaos’ leading to Jackson mass shooting that left 1 dead and 7 injured]
Marquavius is unemployed but previously worked at a Jackson restaurant. King says he has three children.
Prosecutors recommended no bond for both suspects, citing the violent nature of the crime and the fact that a handgun was used. They also pointed to Marquavius’ prior record, which includes more than a dozen felony arrests.
“He has a pretty extensive crime history for his age. It goes back three years, and he’s racked up 13 felonies,” the prosecutor said.
Alexander asked whether those were convictions, and the prosecutor said they were only arrests.
The shooting occurred around 7 p.m. on Saturday, in the hours after the parade. Initially, Capitol Police said in a press release on Friday that eight people were shot. However, in court, each suspect only faced six counts. It’s unclear why there was a discrepancy.
UMMC said Michael McLeod was not on duty at the time of the shooting and was not using his UMMC-issued firearm.
“Before becoming an officer with UMMC Police, McLeod held another position with the department for about six months. Prior to UMMC employment, he cleared all regular background checks and has had no disciplinary actions against him or performance issues,” the hospital wrote.
“Our condolences go out to the victims and their families. We continue to cooperate with Capitol Police in this investigation.”
See UMMC’s full statement below:
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