Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Police seek gun used in child killing as 3 teens charged

JACKSON, Miss. — Authorities on Friday sought the gun used in the killing of a 6-year-old Mississippi boy, as three jailed teenagers faced murder charges that could bring the death penalty.

Madison County District Attorney Michael Guest said Friday that authorities are looking for the weapon but are confident they have enough evidence against the three teen suspects to proceed without it.

Officials say the teens killed Kingston Frazier after stealing his mother's car from a supermarket parking lot after 1 a.m. Thursday.

"I do not believe that it is anything other than a crime of opportunity," Guest said, saying there was no evidence of any deeper plot besides stealing a car that Frazier's mother left running with her child inside. Security video shows that after Ebony Archie left, another car drove up and a man got out and then drove off in her Camry.

Charged Thursday with capital murder were 19-year-old Byron McBride of Pickens, 17-year old D'Allen Washington of Ridgeland and 17-year-old Dwan Wakefield of Ridgeland. Each is set for an initial court appearance Monday morning and until then is jailed without bail in Madison County, just north of Jackson.

Guest wouldn't say if any of the men have confessed. It's unclear if any of the three have lawyers. Guest said he didn't believe anyone else was involved.

All three were arrested after authorities found the body of Kingston Frazier dead from gunshot wounds in the back of his mother's stolen car, abandoned on a dead-end road. Madison County Coroner Alex Breeland says Kingston was shot multiple times.

Archie's family members told local news media Friday that she had picked up her son from his grandmother after going out with friends to celebrate her birthday, and was dashing into the Kroger to buy party supplies to celebrate Kingston's kindergarten graduation, which was scheduled Friday.

"She feels guilty for the fact that she decided to go inside the store and leave the car running when she went inside the store," David Archie, Ebony Archie's uncle, told WLBT-TV

Guest said he was told Frazier was shot at least four times.

Breeland said an autopsy was completed and the boy's body was released to a funeral home. However, no funeral arrangements had been scheduled as of Friday afternoon.

Guest said Washington is currently under indictment for armed robbery in Madison County.