On what should have been a celebratory Easter Sunday in Starkville, Mississippi, a senseless act of violence cut short the life of 17-year-old James Clifton Hester Files. The male teenager was discovered deceased inside a vehicle on April 4, 2021, at the intersection of Hilliard and Sherman streets, the victim of a fatal shooting. The Starkville Police Department responded to reports of gunshots around 5:17 p.m. and arrived to find the tragic scene.
Investigators quickly determined that the shooting occurred inside the vehicle and that the individuals involved were acquainted with one another. After the shots were fired, the suspects were seen fleeing the area on foot, disappearing into a nearby wooded area. The incident, as described by Starkville Police Department Chief Mark Ballard, was a violent act that deeply impacted numerous lives and did not reflect the core values of the Starkville community. He lamented that the violence resulted in one teenager's death and irrevocably altered the course of another's life.
The investigation into the death of James Clifton Hester Files led to the swift apprehension of two suspects. The first, 15-year-old Tyrese Macon of Starkville, was arrested and charged with murder. A second 15-year-old, Coby Jones, also from Starkville, was later arrested on a murder charge in connection with the shooting. Both teenagers were taken to the Oktibbeha County Jail, with their bonds set at $750,000 each. The police department assured the public that they had no reason to believe this tragic event was connected to another recent shooting in the vicinity.
