A 16-year-old who fled a traffic stop and crashed a vehicle, killing one of his three passengers, has been charged with felony murder and fleeing.
Columbus Police Department arrested the teen driver Friday, according to a press release issued Monday evening.
On June 16, at roughly 8 p.m., CPD officers pulled over a car allegedly being driven by the unlicensed 16-year-old suspect for speeding and reckless driving.
The suspect, based on body camera footage shown to The Dispatch and other members of the media following a June 19 press conference, did not follow directions from officers during the traffic stop and allegedly reached for a pistol in his waistband.
The footage also showed Christopher Austin Bankhead, 21, attempt to exit the car before it sped away and ultimately crashed into a signpost in front of Food Giant on Alabama Street.
Bankhead died in the crash, which also injured the driver and two other passengers.
CPD in its press release declined to provide any further identifying information regarding the suspect because he is a juvenile.
Sheriff Eddie Hawkins declined to provide a booking photo and other booking information to The Dispatch on Tuesday because no indictment has been issued in the case, and there is uncertainty whether the case could be transferred to juvenile court.
The press release said CPD consulted with the 16th Circuit District Attorney’s Office and Mississippi Highway Patrol before arresting the suspect on Friday.
District Attorney Scott Colom said his office provided CPD with options for potential charges based on the evidence investigators shared.
Colom said felony murder, unlike first- and second-degree murder charges, can be brought against a suspect even without evidence of intent or premeditation if the death occurs as the direct result of another felony crime, like fleeing in this case.
“There has to be a (direct) connection between the felony and the murder,” Colom told The Dispatch. “… You couldn’t commit felony fleeing, then crash out, (and) then later on, a person dies from a heart attack, there’s not enough connection there.”
Colom said the investigation is still in early stages, and he isn’t sure if his office will agree with the current charges against the juvenile once the case is turned over.
“(CPD) decided, based on facts and based on our legal consultation, that felony murder was the right charge, but it still has a lot of steps to go,” Colom said. “… When they turn the case file over to us, we then review it independent of anybody else and say, ‘Alright, this is what we think is the best charge.’ We present it to a grand jury, and sometimes the grand jury will change (the charges). They say, ‘Alright, what are our options here? We want to look at something else.’”
The suspect had his initial court appearance Friday and was released on a $250,892 bond.
Because the minor has been charged as an adult and bound over to circuit court, The Dispatch has filed a public records request with the Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office for the suspect’s identity and booking information. The Dispatch policy is to publish that information when a suspect is charged as an adult with a felony.
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