On the evening of August 28, 2019, Arnold Brown, a 52-year-old man, was fatally shot at his residence in Meridian, Mississippi. Authorities responded to a call around 9:30 p.m. and discovered Brown in the carport of his home on Ash Avenue, having sustained multiple gunshot wounds. From the outset, investigators believed the shooting was a targeted attack rather than a random act of violence.
The investigation soon focused on members of Brown's own family. In early September, his 18-year-old stepson, Onorious Campbell, turned himself in to the Meridian Police Department. He was subsequently charged with the murder of his stepfather. The case against Campbell was significant enough to be presented to a grand jury. During a preliminary hearing, details emerged about a troubled relationship between Campbell and Brown, including a prior incident in July 2018 where Brown had been shot. Testimony suggested that Campbell believed Brown was abusive toward his mother.
Further investigation led to a second arrest in November of that year. Shaterrica K. Hayes, Brown's 19-year-old stepdaughter and Campbell's sister, was taken into custody and charged with accessory before the fact to murder. Authorities alleged that Hayes had prior knowledge of the plan to shoot Brown and had even warned others to stay away from the residence on the night of the killing.
The murder charge against Onorious Campbell was bound over to a grand jury following a preliminary hearing where a judge set his bond at $500,000. During the hearing, a police detective testified that a witness had identified Campbell as the shooter and that investigators were looking into his alibi of playing basketball at a church at the time of the incident. The detective also noted the prior animosity between Campbell and Brown. Information regarding the final disposition of the charges against both Onorious Campbell and Shaterrica K. Hayes, including the results of the grand jury proceedings and any subsequent trials or convictions, is not publicly available. No information regarding Arnold Brown's ethnicity could be found in the available online sources.
