In the early morning hours of November 1, 2021, the life of 23-year-old Shad Reese of Macon, Mississippi, was tragically cut short in Columbus. Reese, a veteran of the United States Army and a graduate of Noxubee County High School, was discovered deceased in the driver's seat of his vehicle on 10th Avenue North, near the Union Academy. The cause of his death was a fatal gunshot wound.
When law enforcement arrived at the scene around 2:40 a.m., they found the car's window had been shot out, and a single shell casing was recovered from the area. The Lowndes County Coroner confirmed that the wound did not appear to be self-inflicted, signaling a homicide investigation.
The investigation into Shad Reese's death quickly moved forward, aided by footage from a neighborhood watch camera. This evidence led Columbus police to identify a suspect in the fatal shooting. Kingduron Baku Pyle, a 19-year-old from Columbus, was identified as the individual sought in connection with Reese's murder. Authorities stated that it appeared Reese was meeting with Pyle for the purpose of illegally purchasing a firearm at the time of the incident.
A warrant for murder was issued for Kingduron Baku Pyle. Later that same month, Pyle was apprehended in Shoshoni, Wyoming. A Fremont County sheriff's deputy, responding to a disturbance at a motel, encountered Pyle, who reportedly admitted he was wanted for murder in Mississippi. After an attempt to flee, he was arrested and subsequently extradited back to Lowndes County to face charges. In August 2024, Kingduron Baku Pyle, then 22, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder for the killing of Shad Reese. A judge sentenced him to 40 years in prison, with 35 years to serve and five years suspended.
