Vershawn Orlando Williams, 25, of Columbus, Mississippi, was killed in a February 20, 2025, shootout in the parking lot of the Quality Inn on Highway 12 in Starkville. The confrontation involved Williams, 27-year-old Robert Mayfield of Memphis, Tennessee, and a woman identified as Williams’ girlfriend and Mayfield’s cousin. The three argued and fought behind the hotel and the struggle continued outside the vehicle.

Mayfield returned to the car and attempted to drive away; at that point both men exchanged gunfire. Mayfield drove to a nearby urgent care but both men were later taken to OCH Regional Medical Center and pronounced dead. The woman was not physically harmed. Investigators using witness statements and camera footage concluded Williams and Mayfield fatally shot each other, and no arrests were announced. Williams also had an active Columbus warrant for alleged kidnapping and aggravated assault of his girlfriend from days earlier.

Does anyone have information about the events at the Quality Inn that night or about the parties involved?