STARKVILLE – A suspect in custody for a Friday shooting on South Montgomery Street allegedly misidentified his target before pulling the trigger.
Marshall Overstreet, 21, has been charged with attempted murder, Starkville Police Chief Mark Ballard said at a Tuesday morning press conference at police headquarters.
SPD responded to reports of gunshots at the Block Apartments on South Montgomery Street Friday at about 9:50 p.m. and found a male victim had been shot while walking with his wife and dog in the nearby parking lot of the Social Block Apartments on Locksley Way.
Overstreet allegedly shot through the fence that separated the two properties and hit the male victim because he thought he was someone else he intended to shoot, Ballard said.
“Our investigation has determined that these were not stray bullets and the victim was not the intended target,” Ballard said. “This individual was injured only because the suspect believed he was someone else. This makes the situation all the more tragic, and an innocent person was caught up in the violence that should have never happened in the first place.”
The victim was hospitalized and still in critical condition as of Tuesday, Ballard said.
Overstreet was arrested on Sunday by SPD officers at about 3 p.m. at a relative’s house on Southgate Drive off old Highway 25.
Ballard said it took time for police to identify a suspect due to the lack of witnesses at the crime scene and initial difficulty for investigators finding a motive in the case.
“Many times, when you show up at a shooting, you have obvious motives. … Through investigative purposes, you’re able to deduct who your suspects were,” he said. “… Although it’s a heavy populated area, we did not have any of that. We did not have witnesses. We didn’t have people that have an obvious agenda against each other, domestic or robbery or anything of that nature. So that’s what made this a very challenging investigation.”
Overstreet is SPD’s primary suspect, but it does not believe he acted alone and additional arrests are expected in the case, Ballard said.
Following this shooting, SPD will be performing additional patrols around the area where the crime occurred and is working with management at the apartments to increase security procedures including additional camera surveillance.
“You will see more patrol efforts, not only in that area, but throughout the city,” Ballard said. “… You’re going to see more traffic stops. You’re going to see more police presence, just to … deter criminal element and to show that we are committed to safety in the city of Starkville.”
Overstreet is being held at Oktibbeha County Jail with bond set at $5 million.
Oktibbeha County Sheriff’s Office, Mississippi State University Police Department and the Mississippi Bureau of Investigations assisted in the investigation, Public Information Officer Brandon Lovelady said in a text to The Dispatch.
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