On the evening of April 4, 2026, Antonio Conner, a 38-year-old man from Laurel, Mississippi, was fatally shot. The incident occurred around 9:15 p.m. in the 1000 block of First Avenue. Responding officers from the Laurel Police Department found Conner at the scene with a gunshot wound to his abdomen. He was transported to a local hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries.
According to witnesses, Conner’s death followed a dispute with a relative. The Laurel Police Department quickly identified 42-year-old James Darnell Arrington as the suspect in the shooting. An alert was issued for Arrington, who was wanted on charges of murder, possession of a firearm by a felon, and for being an ex-convict. Police Chief Earl Reed publicly appealed for information regarding Arrington's location and urged citizens not to approach him, as he was considered armed and dangerous.
A few days after the shooting, on the evening of April 7, 2026, James Darnell Arrington turned himself in to the Laurel Police Department without incident. He was subsequently booked into the Jones County Sheriff's Department jail. In addition to the murder charge, Arrington was charged with tampering with physical evidence and a capias warrant was served. His bond was set at $260,000. The investigation suggested that the shooting was the unfortunate escalation of a personal conflict between the two related men.
