Inset: Marquillo Kelly (Shelby County Sheriff’s Office). Background: Part of the 4100 block of Barron Avenue in Memphis, Tennessee (Google Maps).
A Tennessee man who claimed he had endured years of bullying allegedly opened fire after being mocked again, then hid the gun in his SUV and admitted to the shooting, authorities said.
Marquillo Kelly, 28, is facing charges of first-degree murder and employing a firearm during the commission of a dangerous felony in connection with the death of Darrell Jones, the Memphis Police Department announced. Police did not release Jones’ age.
According to an affidavit of complaint obtained by Law&Crime, Kelly and Jones were near the 4100 block of Barron Avenue in Memphis on Wednesday. Kelly told investigators that Jones had “ridicule[d] and bully[ied] him” over a “period of years.”
“The bullying culminated [in] the incident today where Kelly confessed to shooting Jones in anger after he had mocked him,” the affidavit states.
Investigators allege Kelly produced a black Glock 19 handgun and shot Jones multiple times. He then reportedly put the firearm in the center console of a white Ford Escape parked in the driveway on the block.
Memphis police officers responding to the residence found Jones “unresponsive” and suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Authorities also recovered seven silver 9 mm shell casings “in a path leading toward a neighboring home,” the charging document says.
Authorities say 911 dispatchers received calls saying that the “suspect responsible” was outside a home on the block in question. The dispatchers were given a description of the suspect, and investigators found the Glock 19 pistol, which was loaded with ammunition that “matched the appearance” and caliber of the casings found at the crime scene, police said.
Officers arrested Kelly and interviewed him. He explained his relationship with Jones and “confessed” to shooting him after the most recent apparent instance of mocking, according to the affidavit.
The defendant allegedly also “gave specific details which were corroborated with evidence found on the scene,” police said.
Kelly is being detained in the Shelby County Jail; he has a bond hearing scheduled for Monday.
