In the summer of 2020, a trip to a golf tournament in Meridian, Mississippi, ended in tragedy for 22-year-old Bond Mansour of Tupelo. On the evening of July 28, Mansour, a male, was fatally shot at the Old Marion Apartments on Old Marion Road. The incident, which occurred around 6 p.m., was the result of an armed robbery that police later described as a drug deal that had gone awry.
According to law enforcement, Mansour and a relative had traveled to Meridian for a golf tournament and had reportedly used social media to set up a drug transaction. The meeting with the sellers quickly escalated into an armed robbery. Police stated that when Mansour resisted the robbery, he was shot and killed. The investigation into his death led to the identification of several individuals, though the path to justice would have its twists.
Initially, the Meridian Police Department arrested Sedricious Deshawn Wallace, 20, of Toomsuba, in connection with the fatal shooting. However, Wallace was later exonerated and all charges against him were dropped after another individual turned himself in and provided details about the incident. This new information led investigators to two primary suspects: Robert Byrd, 17, and LaDarius K. Fowler, 20.
Byrd was taken into custody and charged with capital murder and armed robbery. Despite his age, it was decided that he would be charged as an adult. Fowler, a resident of Cuba, Alabama, was also identified as a suspect and a warrant was issued for his arrest on the same charges. He was considered armed and dangerous and was believed to have fled to Alabama. In January 2021, Fowler was apprehended in Alabama and extradited to Lauderdale County in Mississippi to face charges of murder and armed robbery. He was held at the Lauderdale County Detention Facility on a $150,000 bond. The legal proceedings for both Fowler and Byrd were initiated, with preliminary hearings taking place. However, the final outcome of their trials and any subsequent convictions or sentences have not been publicly reported.
