In the early morning hours of a Friday in Holly Springs, Mississippi, the life of 20-year-old Derrick Johnson, Jr. was tragically cut short. On March 12, 2021, Johnson was driving a vehicle when a man on foot opened fire into the passenger side window. A bullet struck Johnson in the back of the head, causing his vehicle to crash into a utility pole at the intersection of Moss Avenue and South Chesterman Street.
A passenger in the car with Johnson was unharmed despite several shots being fired into the vehicle.
The events that followed the shooting led to a swift arrest. The suspect, identified as 21-year-old James Iman Mallett of the Chesterman Street area, reportedly went to a house after the incident and admitted his involvement in the shooting. The Holly Springs Police Department was able to use video from a Sky Cop camera as evidence in their investigation. Mallett was taken into custody around 2 a.m. on the same day as the shooting.
Following his arrest, James Iman Mallett was held in the Marshall County jail. His bond was set at $1,050,000 on charges of murder and aggravated assault. The investigation into the death of Derrick Johnson, Jr. was announced as ongoing by the interim police chief of Holly Springs. A preliminary hearing for Mallett was scheduled for later in the month of March 2021.
