In the early afternoon of January 3, 2016, a tragic event unfolded in east Columbus, Mississippi, that ended the life of 25-year-old Brandon Michael Gordon. Gordon was found shot behind a residence on Beech Street after he managed to call 911 for help. Although he was transported to Baptist Memorial Hospital-Golden Triangle, he ultimately succumbed to at least one gunshot wound.
Investigators believe the initial shooting occurred on Florence Street, after which Gordon ran to the backyard where he was eventually found by emergency responders who had to use his cell phone signal to locate him.
Within a day of the fatal shooting, the Columbus Police Department, with assistance from U.S. Marshals and Lowndes County deputies, apprehended a suspect. Leronn Klayshay Gregory, 24 at the time, was arrested on Florence Street, near the scene of the crime, on the afternoon of January 4, 2016. He was subsequently charged with the murder of Brandon Michael Gordon. A judge set his bond at one million dollars. The motive for the shooting was later revealed to be a dispute over text messages that Gregory had sent to a member of Gordon's family.
In May 2018, Leronn Gregory, then 26, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the Lowndes County Circuit Court. As a result of his plea, he was sentenced to 40 years in the Mississippi Department of Corrections, with 10 of those years suspended. This means he is to serve 30 years in prison, followed by five years of probation. While an arrest was made in connection to a separate shooting incident in March 2017 while Gregory was out on bond for Gordon's murder, the 2018 plea agreement brought a legal conclusion to the case of Brandon Michael Gordon's death.
