By Emily Williams and Jason Mattox
The alleged "Wal-Mart shooter," wanted for wounding another man during a botched drug deal last month, has turned himself in.
Marco T. Lamar, 30, of Batesville, turned himself in about 11 a.m. Wednesday, a spokesman for the Batesville Police Department announced shortly after the surrender.
Lamar’s attorney arranged the surrender via a phone call Wednesday morning to Detective George Williford, said BPD Deputy Chief Tony Jones.
"Lamar met Detective Williford at the Panola County Sheriff’s Department, where he surrendered," Jones said.
Lamar’s attorney was present with his client, who did not make a statement to police, the deputy chief said.
The suspected shooter is free on a $250,000 bond. Lamar’s surrender comes after a June 30 incident in the Wal-Mart parking lot in Batesville that left Eramus Spears, 20, of Grenada, wounded and bleeding as he fled through the store. Spears and two more men were later arrested at Tri-Lakes Medical Center, where Spears was receiving medical attention for his gunshot wound.
Batesville police said the shooting stemmed from a drug deal that went bad.
The charges against Lamar include aggravated assault, possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute, felon in possession of a firearm, which are all felonies, and a misdemeanor charge for discharging a firearm in the city limits.
Hours before Williford received the phone call, Spears and the other two suspects, Alton Kee, 25, of Scoby, and Demarquese Bledsoe, 24, of Grenada, made their first appearances in court.
Spears, Kee and Bledsoe were referred to a Panola County grand jury on a single charge, possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute.
An affidavit read by Batesville Municipal Court Judge Bill McKenzie stated the suspects possessed seven "bricks" of marijuana.
During the 15-minute preliminary hearing, McKenzie agreed to the defendants’ requests for bond reductions, dropping Spears’ and Bledsoe’s bond to $75,000 and Kee’s bond to $50,000.
Prior to that action, McKenzie asked Williford his opinion of the reduced-bond requests.
"With the large amount of drugs and a firearm being involved, I wouldn’t suggest it," Williford replied.
"And also the other one has not been found," the detective added, referring to the still-on-the-loose Lamar.
Williford did tell McKenzie that Kee had been cooperative with police.
Kee had asked McKenzie for a bond reduction after explaining that the original $150,000 bond was too high and that his bail bondsman would "work with me"if he could get it lowered.
Kee also told the judge he has a three-year-old child "who I need to take care of."
"Who was the one that was shot?" McKenzie asked.
Spears raised his hand.
Williford explained to the judge that Spears was "grazed" on his knee and arm by a shot fired from a nine millimeter pistol.
"You were lucky," the judge told Spears.
(The Panolian staff writer Billy Davis contributed to this story). |