UPDATE: Police identify suspect in Thursday night shooting of Natchez teen

Published 2:45 pm Friday, February 18, 2022

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Police have named a suspect in a Thursday night homicide at Martin Luther King and Jackson streets.

They have detained Jordan Caston, age 18, for allegedly gunning down 16-year-old Marquez Brown in “cold blood,” Natchez Police Chief Joseph Daughtry said.

He added Caston would be charged with first-degree murder and shooting inside of city limits.

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No motive has been given, as the incident remains under investigation.

“This is senseless,” Daughtry said. “My prayers go out to the victim’s family and the whole community who loved him. I’ve had several educators call me about him. This was one of their babies. Enough is enough. … This was an act that could not have been prevented. (Caston) had the intent to kill.”

Within an hour of the shooting, police officers assisted by Adams County Sheriff’s Office deputies surrounded a house directly across the street from the crime scene and took in Caston for questioning.

The above video shows armed authorities surrounding the house and then walking him up the street to a patrol car.

Brown is affectionately called “Snug” by his friends and family.

Natchez Freshman Academy Principal Larry Hooper expressed grief and frustration at losing former students, including Brown, to street violence in a post on social media.

“I’m sad to say that this is the 10th student/former student less than 20 years old that I’ve lost since 2015 and one of these included this child’s big brother,” Hooper said of Marquez Brown. “I never saw him unhappy. He always asked for ways to help me, he loved to laugh and have a good time and he was loved by many. We gotta do better.”

Natchez police received a “shots fired” call at approximately 7 p.m. Thursday evening at 103 Jackson St. near Martin Luther King Jr. St., where they found a teenage male deceased, said Capt. Scott Frye of the Natchez Police Department.

Frye said investigators are unsure if the shooting is connected with the sentencing of Montreal Brown, who was sentenced to 70 years in prison last week in Sixth District Circuit Court for second-degree murder, aggravated assault charges with two firearm enhancements.

“I want to thank the Adams County Sheriff’s Office for assisting us and the citizens who came forward to give us information,” Daughtry said. “That just goes to show what kind of city we live in. People are tired of want-to-be thugs creating havoc on our streets.”