On the night of December 3, 2021, 45-year-old Larry Wayne Peeks Jr. was shot and killed on Shirley Drive, east of Columbus, Mississippi. Lowndes County deputies found him lying in the street and the coroner pronounced him dead at the scene.

A suspect was arrested at the scene: Peeks Jr.’s 21-year-old son, Bradley Wayne Peeks. Deputies recovered a 9-millimeter handgun. Bradley was initially charged with murder and held in the county jail; bond was later set at $250,000. A grand jury returned an indictment for manslaughter, and the case went to trial in February 2025.

At trial Bradley testified that he was in his vehicle when his father approached in a threatening manner, and the defense said he fired to protect himself, his mother, and a cousin who was in the car; the prosecution argued the use of deadly force was unreasonable. The jury acquitted Bradley of manslaughter after being instructed on the Castle Doctrine.

Did anyone in the area witness the confrontation on Shirley Drive that night or have additional information about the events leading up to the shooting?