Greenville, Mississippi, recorded its first homicide of 2023 on January 10, when police found 40-year-old Desmond McKnight on the 300 block of East Moore Street. McKnight, a Black/African American man, had sustained multiple gunshot wounds and was pronounced dead at the scene by the Washington County Coroner’s Office.

Within days investigators identified two suspects: 20-year-old Tazarius Williams (known as Lil Cately) and 21-year-old Rodney Barney, both from Greenville. Williams and Barney were taken into custody after a separate shooting on East Walker Street two days after McKnight’s death, and murder warrants were later obtained charging them in connection with McKnight’s killing. The Greenville Police Department publicly emphasized its focus on reducing violent gun crime and urged young people to put down firearms.

If anyone knew Desmond McKnight or has information about the events on East Moore Street that night, please come forward to assist the investigation.