On the night of May 20, 2023, a verbal argument at a Circle K in Vicksburg, Mississippi, escalated into a deadly shooting that killed 46-year-old Shirray Harris. The dispute began between Byron Griffin and John Dolley; Harris reportedly stepped in to try to calm things and became involved. Surveillance and witness accounts presented at trial describe Griffin chasing Harris with an axe handle, a confrontation near Harris’s car, and a physical struggle during which Harris is said to have struck Griffin with a pistol. Griffin then gained control of the firearm and fired two shots, the second of which was fatal.

Griffin was arrested at the scene and charged with first-degree murder. The case went to trial in March 2024; prosecutors described Griffin as the aggressor, while the defense said Griffin acted in self-defense and testified that Harris had threatened and hit him. After a three-day trial ended in a hung jury, the jury declared a mistrial after five hours of deliberation. Anyone who witnessed the incident or knew Harris is asked to share information that might help clarify what happened.