On a Saturday afternoon in Tunica County, Mississippi, a verbal exchange over the speed of a vehicle escalated into a fatal shooting that claimed the life of Davao Love Thomas, a 31-year-old Black male from Crawford. The incident unfolded on February 18, 2023, in the 1000 block of Kirby Estates. Thomas had reportedly told a man to slow down, which led to a violent confrontation.
Witnesses at the scene identified Korea T.
McKay of Tunica County as the man who shot Thomas multiple times before fleeing in a brown pickup truck. A second individual, Jefferey Pickett of Tunica, was identified as a person of interest who was seen in the passenger seat of the vehicle driven by McKay. Deputies from the Tunica County Sheriff's Office responded to a 911 call around 2:57 p.m. and found Thomas suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. The Tunica County Coroner pronounced him deceased at the scene.
In the days following the shooting, law enforcement located McKay's truck hidden behind a trailer in Dundee, Mississippi. Subsequently, both Korea T. McKay and Jefferey Pickett were arrested and charged with murder by the Tunica County Sheriff's Department.
While facing the state murder charge, federal authorities also pursued a case against McKay. Due to multiple prior felony convictions, which included assault of a police officer and federal drug offenses, he was federally charged with being a felon in possession of ammunition in connection to the homicide. A federal jury convicted McKay on this charge.
In August 2025, a U.S. District Court Judge sentenced Korea McKay, then 44, to the statutory maximum of 15 years in federal prison for the illegal possession of ammunition. This sentence was ordered to run consecutively with a separate 48-month sentence McKay was already serving for a prior case in Desoto County. During the sentencing, the judge described the daylight killing as 'the most outrageous one he's seen in 25 years.' Authorities also identified McKay as a violent, high-ranking member of the Vice Lords gang.
