A Christmas Eve gathering on December 24, 2022, in Columbus, Mississippi, turned deadly when an argument at a home on Luxapilila Drive escalated into gunfire. Forty-eight-year-old Algene Hampton was fatally shot inside the residence. The house was crowded with people, including children, and four other attendees were also wounded by gunfire during the incident. Responding officers described the scene as chaotic; they arrived around 10:40 p.m.

Police identified 22-year-old Gregory Lamon Morris as a suspect in Hampton’s death. Morris was among the four people injured and was treated at Baptist Memorial Hospital-Golden Triangle. After his release the following Wednesday he was arrested, charged with murder, booked into the Lowndes County Adult Detention Center and held without bond. Authorities said additional charges could be pending as the investigation continued.

If anyone at the party or in the neighborhood has information about what led to the argument or the shooting, please share what is known with investigators.