A shooting on a prominent avenue in west Clarksdale has resulted in the death of a teenager and prompted Clarksdale police to call in the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation (MBI) to conduct an investigation.
The shooting occurred shortly after 4 p.m. Monday with police dispatched to the 1200 block of West Second Street and the home of a former Clarksdale police officer. A 15-year-old male was found dead at the scene from at least one gunshot wound.
“The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation (MBI) is actively gathering information on a shooting that occurred on May 22, 2023, in Clarksdale, Mississippi,” MBI spokesman Bailey Martin, said Wednesday afternoon. “It is not considered to be an officer-involved shooting and no arrests have been made at this time.”
Martin did confirm Cornelius “CJ” McGee, 15, received fatal injuries in this incident.
“Due to this being an open and ongoing investigation; no further comment will be made,” she said. “MBI is currently assessing this critical incident and gathering evidence. Upon completing the investigation, agents will share their findings with the local District Attorney’s Office.”
State law prevents authorities from releasing the name of officers – but not the victim – in officer-involved shootings. MBI traditionally investigates all officer-involved shooting in the state.
Andrew Bankhead, who lives at 1202 West Second, was a police officer at the Clarksdale Police Department until about two weeks ago when he resigned to take a job with the U.S. Marshals Service.
There have been no reports of an arrest in this incident or what charges might be made.
Clarksdale Police Chief Robbie Linley said the investigation was immediately turned over the MBI because it did involve a former law enforcement officer.
“Because a former officer was involved we secured the scene and contacted MBI,” said Linley. “They were already in town.”
The call came to authorities as a burglary at 4:28 p.m. Linley left a meeting at Clarksdale City Hall at 4:41 p.m.
The shooting saw more than 50 people come to the scene on West Second Street Monday afternoon. Traffic was snarled in the area and yellow crime tape stretched across the road and around the house.
Social media speculation about what did or didn’t happen at the home has flooded the community. Media reports out of Memphis have interviewed local people who came to the scene and relatives of all involved, getting their side of the story.
Authorities have not confirmed or denied who was in the home at the time of the shooting, a motive, type weapon used, where the victim might have been shot on the property, where he was shot on his body or how many times he was shot.
The Clarksdale Press Register will update this story as the investigation continues, when charges – if any – are filed, and then follow it through the court system. The Press Register has filed a public information request with MBI seeking details about this incident.
The home on West Second was equipped with security cameras and Clarksdale Mayor Chuck Espy demanded at a community-wide meeting at the Clarksdale Civic Auditorium on Tuesday that those videos be released by MBI immediately. Court orders are traditionally required to have details of a criminal investigation released to the public prior to turning details and evidence of that investigation over to state prosecutors.
