Published: November 01, 2009 01:58 am      

Meridian rocked by second murder

Saturday death marks fourth homicide of year

Within about 14 hours of each other, two men were shot and killed in Meridian.

It is not clear, however, if the two murders are related.

Stanley Mason, 28, of the Highway Village Public Housing Complex at 506 Front St., was found shot to death outside one of the housing units early Saturday.

According to Capt. James Sharpe of the MPD Criminal Investigation Department, police responded to the call of a panicked female who called 911 saying someone had been shot in that area. Sharpe said officers were called to the apartment complex at about 12:30 a.m. where they discovered Mason's body lying on the front lawn. Mason, who seemed to have suffered several gunshot wounds, was pronounced dead at the scene by Lauderdale County Coroner Clayton Cobler. Mason was a resident of the complex but Sharpe didn't release which apartment he lived in.

Sources in connection with the incident said on condition of anonymity Mason had been shot six times.

Mid-morning on Friday police discovered the body of Jerome Hearn, 29, of Meridian, who had died of apparent gunshot wounds in his car, parked at a vacant house in the 2300 block of 25th Avenue.

"Detectives are currently in the process of determining whether there are any possible connections between the two homicides," Sharpe said Saturday.

No suspects were in custody Saturday afternoon, but police had developed "several persons of interest in both cases," according to Sharpe, and were trying to locate them for questioning.

The bodies of both homicide victims will be sent to the Mississippi State Crime Lab for autopsy.

Investigators ask anyone with information involving theses incidents to contact the Meridian Police Department at (601) 485-1893, or the MPD Criminal Investigation Division at (601) 485-1859.