Cody Watkins was a 29-year-old White man whose life came to a sudden and violent end in the late spring of 2024. The incident unfolded in the small town of Lumberton, Mississippi, on a quiet residential street, leaving a community to grapple with the sudden loss.
On the morning of Monday, May 27, a call came into the Lumberton Police Department at approximately 11:47 a.m. reporting a shooting at a home on Camp Avenue. Officers and emergency medical responders were dispatched immediately, arriving at the residence just four minutes later at 11:51 a.m. Inside, they discovered Cody Watkins. He had been fatally shot in the chest and was pronounced dead at the scene.
Criminal investigators launched a homicide investigation. According to Lumberton Police Department Criminal Investigator Glenn Lowery, authorities quickly identified a person of interest. Their work led to the arrest of 39-year-old David Morrison, who was taken into custody in connection with Watkins' death. Investigators stated that they believed the shooting was domestic in nature and assured the public that there was no imminent threat to the wider community.
Following his arrest, David Morrison was formally charged with murder. According to online jail records, he faced an additional charge of possession of a weapon by a convicted felon. The arrest brought a rapid development to the case, transitioning it from an active investigation to a matter for the courts. As of May 2024, the case against Morrison is proceeding through the legal system.
