Damos Daniels, a 37-year-old man, was fatally shot on April 11, 2016, in a gravel lot of an abandoned oil well on North Williamsburg Road in Basefield, Mississippi. At the time of the incident, Daniels' wife, Megan, was with him and sustained critical injuries in the shooting. Their two children were also in the vehicle but were not physically harmed.
Damos Daniels was pronounced dead at the scene from gunshot wounds to the head and upper shoulder.
The investigation into the double shooting led to the arrests of two men. Antonio Sims of Jefferson Davis County was taken into custody and charged with murder and attempted murder. Subsequently, a second suspect, Jaylen Thomas, turned himself in to authorities and faced the same charges of murder and attempted murder. The search for the suspects involved a collaborative effort from the Jefferson Davis County Sheriff's Department, the Mississippi Highway Patrol, the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Marshals, the DEA, and the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics. During the investigation, a search warrant executed at two residences on Black Polk Road resulted in the seizure of a large quantity of marijuana, $9,000 in cash, and a stolen firearm.
Damos Daniels had a complex past, having previously been an FBI informant. He had been on trial for the 2010 shooting death of Kenroderick Jefferson. In that case, Daniels' defense team argued self-defense, and due to inconsistent witness testimony, he was ultimately not convicted of murder.
