Man suspected in shootings gunned down
A man believed to be connected to multiple shootings in the area was gunned down last Thursday in the Pearl River community.
The man, Qualee Fryer, 21, 265 Maritn Luther King Jr. Drive, was fatally shot at about 12:30 a.m. Thursday off of Oswald Road, Philadelphia Police Chief Eric Lyons said.
Lyons said the shooting was brought to his attention by Choctaw Police.
Lyons said PPD believes Fryer is possibly involved in at least two other shootings reported in the area.
The most recent incident occurred on Martin Luther King Jr. Drive in April, in which an 18-eighteen-year old male was wounded by gunfire and sent to the hospital. Lyons said Fryer, who lives four houses down on MLK Drive, may have been the target of the shooting.
“Investigators spoke with Fryer and attempted to gain more info into potential suspects,’ Lyons said. “No information was provided in that regard.”
The other occurred in Conehatta in February. Fryer allegedly shot a man from Georgia in this incident and was arrested by Newton County officials.
“This case is still under investigation, and we believe that the incidents from Conehatta, Pearl River, and MLK Drive are all related,” Lyons said.
PPD has been working alongside the Choctaw Police Department and Federal Bureau of Investigation in the shooting on MLK Jr. Drive, Lyons said.
The MLK Drive incident was reported on Sunday, April 7, at about 4:30 a.m., when Philadelphia Police were dispatched to the 200 block of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive following reports of a male being shot.
Upon arrival, officers made contact with Jamerson Coleman, the 18-year-old male victim, inside the residence, who had been shot multiple times in the arm, chest, and leg while he was sleeping in his bedroom.
EMS transported Coleman to Neshoba General, and he was later flown to The University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson.
Officers recovered several spent shell casings from outside the residence near the bedroom window where Coleman was asleep and counted over 40 shots being fired into the residence, primarily into Coleman’s bedroom window.
Coleman was not believed to be the intended target of the attack, and authorities believe there were multiple shooters in this incident, Lyons said at the time.
Earlier this year, In February, Fryer was arrested and charged with the murder of 20-year-old Adrion Simmons, according to Chief Deputy Kris Hollingsworth with the Newton County Sheriff’s Office.
Initially, Choctaw Police responded to a report of a shooting on Friday, Feb.16, at about 10 p.m., at a residence on Campus Drive near Conehatta Elementary School.
CPD responded to the scene and determined that the victim and suspect were not Tribal members and contacted the Newton County Sheriff’s Office to conduct the investigation, Hollingsworth said.
Hollingsworth said the suspect was still on the scene when Choctaw Police arrived. CPD detained Fryer until the deputies arrived and took him into custody.
“After having interviewed the suspect, he was charged with murder,” Hollingsworth said.
Anyone with information on this crime or any other crime can call East Mississippi Crimestoppers at (855) 485-TIPS or the NCSO at (601) 656-1414. Tips may result in a cash reward.