Philadelphia man charged with attempted murder
The suspect charged with attempted murder in the Burger King shooting last week has been identified as a Philadelphia man with a record of run-ins with law enforcement.
The man, Qwuntorez Kirkland, 25, of Philadelphia was charged with attempted murder in the Oct. 1 early-morning shooting, according to police. On Monday, additional felony charges of fleeing and four charges of aggravated assault on a police officer were added, officials said.
After a high-speed chase into Kemper County Thursday afternoon, Philadelphia Police Det, Bobby Pattillo said that Kirkland was brought in through the efforts of multiple state and local agencies.
“The Philadelphia Police Department would like to thank all Officers from surrounding agencies who assisted with the apprehension of this suspect to include the Neshoba County Sheriff's Department, MDOT Enforcement, and the Kemper County Sheriff's Department,” Pattillo said.
Pattillo said that the shooting victim has been released from the hospital.
Neshoba County Sheriff Eric Clark first announced the arrest about 2 p.m. Thursday on social media.
“Burger King suspect, in custody,” he posted on. Facebook. “Suspect and all officers are safe and without injuries. Thankful for all Agencies involved. Well trained officers! We are blessed.”
Officers from the Philadelphia Police Department, Neshoba County Sheriff's Department, and Winston County Sheriff's Department were searching for a vehicle when it was spotted traveling southbound on Highway 15.
An officer with the Philadelphia Police Department attempted to initiate a traffic stop when the suspect fled. A pursuit ensued.
The suspect was pursued by officers from several agencies and was eventually caught in Kemper County and taken into custody.
The individual was arrested in connection with an incident that occurred at approximately 7:30 a.m. when PPD received a call that a subject had been shot at Burger King on west Beacon Street. Officers arrived on the scene shortly thereafter to find a gunshot victim.
Pattillo said that they are not releasing any additional information in relation to the nature of the shooting at this time.
A jury in 2015 found Kirkland not guilty of attempted murder in the shooting of Jimmy Thames, 24, in November 2013.
As recently as May 2019 Kirkland was in jail on a failure to pay charge. In January 2017 he was charged with burglary and armed robbery. He had a public drunk charge in 2016.