Aberdeen Police Department investigates Tuesday night homicide

A resident who lived in the neighborhood recounted what he heard that night.

ABERDEEN, Miss. (WCBI) – A fatal gunshot wound to the head has resulted in a homicide investigation by Aberdeen police.

Officers found 29-year-old Leviathan Oneal Troope dead at the scene.

Police were saying the suspect wore a ski mask.

The incident happened Tuesday night close to 10 p.m. on the corner of Drake and Wasson Street.

Aberdeen Police Chief Quinell Shumpert said this attack wasn’t some random incident and that the suspect knew the victim.

“When they arrived on the scene they found a body lying in the street behind a vehicle. The body appeared to have one gunshot wound to the head,” Shumpert said.

According to Shumpert, Troope went to the witness’s house to finish getting his windows tinted. The pair were working on the car.

Troope was holding a light on the outside of the vehicle for the witness who was inside the vehicle at the time.

That’s when the suspect walked up.

“The other witness stated he was in the back seat trying to get the air bubbles out of the back windshield. He said a gentleman walked up wearing a ski mask asking for a ride. They said no and they said he pulled a firearm up, fired one round, and turned back down the way he came,” Shumpert said.

The area where the shooting took place is usually a quiet neighborhood with mostly elderly adults.

A resident who lived in the neighborhood recounted what he heard that night.

Because of safety reasons, he asked to remain anonymous.

“I heard one shot. I was just sitting on the couch and didn’t think much of it. So, I just thought someone was shooting in the air or something,” he said.

The neighbor said he eventually went to check things out.

WCBI asked the man to explain what he saw when he went outside.

“Mmm, just distress. People were upset they couldn’t believe what happened. I couldn’t believe it myself,” he said.

The neighbor said he also knew the victim.

“He was a kind person. He was a very wholesome person and he was a very funny person and he was a nice person to be around,” he said.

The police department is gathering video surveillance from the area.

Shumpert said the department would be conducting interviews with possible suspects.

If you have any information, contact the Aberdeen Police Department at (662)369-6454 or Golden Triangle Crime Stoppers at (800)530-7151.

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