Sergeant James Dotson Jr., 32, an eight-year veteran of the Hinds County Sheriff’s Office assigned to the Raymond Detention Center, was found dead inside a home on Dorgan Street in Jackson on Sunday, November 2, 2025. He had sustained multiple gunshot wounds and was pronounced dead at the scene. Dotson was off-duty at the time.

Jackson Police Department investigators identified a suspect and arrested 26-year-old Ladarien Tyrese Jones in Vicksburg with assistance from the U.S. Marshals Task Force. Jones was charged with murder and auto theft; Dotson’s gray 2020 Dodge Challenger had been reported stolen and was recovered. A second person, 27-year-old Mercedes Guise, was arrested and charged with hindering prosecution and accessory after the fact. Both were booked into a city holding facility; Jones was denied bond and Guise’s bond was set at $500,000.

The investigation remains active as authorities piece together the circumstances surrounding the killing of Sergeant Dotson. If anyone has information about movements on Dorgan Street on November 2 or about the recovered vehicle, please contact investigators.