In the early morning hours of July 31, 2021, a workplace dispute in Amory, Mississippi, turned fatal, leaving one man dead and another facing a lengthy prison sentence. The victim was identified as Michael Lamont Randle, a 46-year-old male employee at the True Temper Sports manufacturing plant. The incident shattered the pre-dawn quiet around 3:30 a.m. when shots rang out within the facility.
Randle was critically injured in the shooting and was quickly airlifted from a local hospital to a medical center in Tupelo. Despite the efforts of medical personnel, he succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead at 6:38 a.m.
The man identified as the shooter was Menderil Malquette Juven Cohen, a 29-year-old coworker of Randle's. Immediately following the shooting, Cohen fled the scene, sparking a high-speed chase that involved multiple law enforcement agencies. The pursuit, which reportedly reached speeds of 120 miles per hour, spanned several counties before ending in Columbus, Mississippi. After abandoning his vehicle, Cohen attempted to hide in some bushes in a residential neighborhood but was quickly apprehended by officers from the Amory Police Department, with assistance from the Monroe and Lowndes County Sheriff's Offices, the Columbus Police Department, and the Mississippi Highway Patrol.
Following his capture, Cohen was taken into custody and charged with murder in connection with Randle's death. He was held in the Monroe County Jail without bond as the investigation into the motive for the shooting continued. In a subsequent court appearance in Monroe County Circuit Court, Menderil Cohen pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of second-degree murder. Judge Kelly Mims sentenced him to 40 years in prison, with 10 years suspended. Under the terms of his sentence, Cohen will be required to serve 30 years and will not be eligible for parole or early release.
