Tupelo police investigate two unrelated homicides
One victim died from stab wounds, the second victim from gunshot wounds
TUPELO, Miss. (WCBI) – “Last night was the worst night since I have been chief for the past two and a half years,” said Quaka.
That’s how Tupelo Police Chief John Quaka described Monday evening, as officers were called to work two homicides.
The first was called in at 9:30 p.m. from the Sprint Mart on East Main. A man was on the scene with a stab wound. Police said the victim, identified as 33-year-old Latravis Cummings, had been involved in a disturbance on nearby Canal Street.
“Our information is the victim drove himself from Canal Street to the Sprint Mart on Main Street,” Quaka said.
Paramedics took Cummings to NMMC, where he died.
Less than an hour later, police responded to a call of shots fired at Hilldale Apartments on Monument Drive.
Witnesses told police they heard gunshots, and then found a man lying on the ground. The victim, identified as 21-year-old Romero Hampton, of Tupelo, was taken by private vehicle to NMMC but did not survive.
Investigators worked through the night collecting evidence, talking with witnesses, and looking at security camera footage.
“We are accessing the cameras we own, asking the public for help from any private cameras. We are asking for all citizens to call in if you have any information, about either of these crimes. No matter how small your information is, it might be a piece of the puzzle that helps solve this case,” Quaka said.
Quaka said it was tragic that two separate acts of violence claimed the lives of two young men on the same night. He encourages anyone to think twice before settling any arguments with violence.
“We live in a civilized society, if you are in an altercation with an individual, call the authorities, let us deal with it, it never turns out well when someone decides to enact justice on his own in the heat of the moment,” he said.
The chief has a message for the victims’ families and those responsible.
“All videos from the cameras are giving us leads, detectives are pursuing every lead and I feel confident we will come to a successful resolution in both cases,” Quaka said.
Tupelo has now had three homicides in 2024.
An arrest was made in the first one earlier this year.
If you have any information on either of Monday night’s incidents, call Tupelo police at (662)841-6491
