In the late hours of a Thursday evening in Meridian, Mississippi, the life of 19-year-old Justin Phillips was tragically cut short. On December 19, 2024, at approximately 10:20 p.m., gunfire erupted at the Oak Manor Apartments located in the 200 block of North Hills Street. Officers from the Meridian Police Department were dispatched to the scene following reports of shots being fired. Upon their arrival, they discovered Phillips suffering from a gunshot wound. He was a Black male.
Emergency services transported Phillips to a local hospital, but his injuries proved to be fatal, and he was pronounced dead. The Lauderdale County Coroner, Stella McMahan, later confirmed his identity. As the investigation into the shooting began, authorities quickly identified a person of interest. The focus of their investigation centered on 25-year-old Jontae Lawan Portis.
In the wake of the shooting, the Meridian Police Department issued a public appeal for information regarding Portis's whereabouts and warned that anyone found to be assisting him in evading law enforcement would face legal consequences. The day after the shooting, on Friday, December 20, Jontae Lawan Portis surrendered to the Meridian Police Department. He was subsequently charged with capital murder in connection with the death of Justin Phillips. Portis was taken into custody and was scheduled to make an initial appearance before a municipal court judge on January 6, 2025. The police department expressed its condolences to the family of Justin Phillips as the investigation into the circumstances surrounding the fatal shooting continued.
