Bank of Holly Springs

Man shot, killed in Victoria

Sunday around 1 a.m., deputies were called to a disturbance in the Watkins Grocery parking lot at Victoria where Atha Eldridge Falkner, 27, of the Highway 309 South area, had been shot, sheriff Kenny Dickerson said.

When Marshall County deputies arrived, they quickly located the victim and proceeded for about an hour to do CPR, Dickerson said

“Local firefighters and first responders did everything they knew to do to try to save the victim’s life,” he said.

Coroner James Richard Anderson later pronounced Falkner dead at the scene.

Investigators attempted to speak with witnesses in order to identify the shooter when a large crowd of people became angry at deputies on the scene, Dickerson said.

Officers with Byhalia Police Department, Holly Springs Police Department, and DeSoto County Sheriff’s Department were dispatched to the crime scene to assist deputies until it was cleared, he said.

The homicide took place across the road from Elmore’s Club, according to the sheriff.

Dickerson said information gathered at the scene suggests a female and the deceased were in an altercation when an unidentified suspect came to the parking lot and shot the victim.

“We are asking for any information that will help identify the suspect,” Dickerson said.

Anyone with information on the murder, please contact investigators at 662-252-1311.

There are still rewards for up to $15,000 for any information in five unsolved homicides in Marshall County.

They are Devin Hubbard, Tyro Road, 2015; Jamon Moton, Moore Road, 2016; Will Phillips Jr., Moore Road, 2016; Melvin Brown Jr., White Road, 2016; Mark Hooper, Union Valley Road, 2016.

Tips will be kept confidential and if a case is solved due to the tip provided by a caller, the caller will be eligible to collect the reward following the conviction of the person(s) responsible for the homicide.

Dickerson also warns residents to keep watch on their neighborhoods during this holiday and hunting season for any suspicious activity. This is the time of year when opportunists steal ATVs, trailers, and other equipment from residences when the homeowners are away.

Call the sheriff’s department at 662-252-1311 to report any unusual activity in your neighborhood or on your road and investigators will be sent out.

Do not attempt to have an encounter with a suspicious person on your own, Dickerson said.

Holly Springs South Reporter

P.O. Box 278
Holly Springs, MS 38635
PH: (662) 252-4261
FAX: (662) 252-3388
www.southreporter.com