NATCHEZ — A third suspect has been charged in the Sept. 22 murder of Lewis Jackson III, officials said.

Natchez Police arrested Darnell D. Stevenson, 20, of Country Club Drive, Thursday night in a joint operation in conjunction with agents from the Mississippi Department of Corrections and the Special Operations Group of the Adams County Sheriff’s Office, Natchez Police Chief Walter Armstrong said.

Stevenson faces a charge of murder, four counts of aggravated assault, drive by shooting, shooting into a vehicle, shooting into an occupied dwelling and felony malicious mischief.

The charges stem from Sept. 22 when a series of shootings occurred at several locations throughout Natchez, including the shooting that killed Jackson, 25, as he stood outside of Holiday Apartments, officials said.

Jamaien Washington, 20, and Darryl K. Hurts Jr., 20, were both arrested on Sept. 24 and charged with murder, four counts of aggravated assault, one charge of drive-by shooting, shooting into a dwelling, shooting into a vehicle and felony malicious mischief.

Stevenson also was arrested Sept. 24 on charges of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession of a stolen firearm after Adams County Sheriff Travis Patten on a parole check said he found the weapons in Stevenson’s vehicle.

At the time, Stevenson was out on parole after pleading guilty Aug. 3, 2017, to a felony charge of conspiracy to commit armed robbery.

Stevenson and Hurts at the time, court records show, had both recently been released from prison after serving time for their parts in a 2015 crime that killed a man and injured a pregnant woman in Adams County.

For their parts in the 2015 crime, Stevenson and Hurts pleaded guilty to lesser charges of conspiracy to commit armed robbery, after initially being charged with murder and three counts of attempted murder and armed robbery each.

Hurts signed a waiver of indictment, which is essentially a guilty plea, in Adams County Circuit Court on March 27, 2017, to a charge of conspiracy to commit armed robbery in the 2015 shooting.

For that crime, Hurts was sentenced to five years in prison or time served. Hurts had since been released from prison before his Sept. 24 arrest, although his prison release date was unclear.

Stevenson entered a guilty plea to conspiracy to commit armed robbery on Aug. 3, 2017, and was out on parole when he was arrested Sept. 24, Patten said.

As a result of his Sept. 24 arrest, Stevenson’s parole was revoked and he was sent back to prison.

On Dec. 5, however, Adams County Justice Court Judge Patricia Dunmore dropped the Sept. 24 charges against Stevenson saying sheriff’s deputies lacked evidence proving Stevenson’s ownership of the gun and Stevenson was released, said Jerry Brown, chief deputy Adams County Sheriff’s Office.

“When investigators discovered that he had been released,” Armstrong said, “they quickly requested arrest warrants for Darnell. The initial plan was to request indictments when the co-defendants were presented to the grand jury.”

Stevenson, Armstrong said, was arrested without incident.

“I do want to dispel the rumor that the city and the county are not working together to solve these crimes,” Patten said. “Over the last couple of shootings we have had, we have worked with the city.”

Patten said Natchez Police officers and Adams County deputies meet frequently to share information on ongoing investigations.

“Darnell is just another case of the city and county working together to rid the city and county of the criminal element here,” Patten said. “I thank the chief and mayor for opening the doors and allowing us to come in and assist.”

Armstrong said the case would be bound over to a grand jury.

“As for the future of the case,” Armstrong said, “all three individuals will be presented to the grand jury at the same time in the future.”